Oak View Group Hires Two Industry Veterans For Las Vegas Project

As Oak View Group continues to increase its presence in the sports and live entertainment industries, it has announced the hiring of two industry veterans to lead its Las Vegas project.

Randy Morton — former president and chief operating officer of Bellagio Resort & Casino — is the new president of OVG Las Vegas hotel & casino. Marc Badain, former president of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, has been named president of OVG Las Vegas sports & entertainment venues.

The pair will be responsible for overseeing the development of building an integrated NBA-ready arena and resort in Las Vegas and work for the joint venture of partners of the project, where OVG is the managing partner. Patrick Crockett is also joining the team as hotel-casino financial consultant.

“Our Las Vegas project represents a critical first step for OVG in seamlessly integrating the greatest in new and innovative hotel and casino offerings with the best in arena development and live entertainment,” said Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive officer of Oak View Group. “This unprecedented project is an industry game-changer, but to do it right, that means putting the best team in place.”

The newly planned entertainment district on Las Vegas Boulevard South includes an 850,000-square-foot arena with 20,000-plus seats, a casino, a hotel and an additional entertainment venue. It would sit on 25 acres as part of a 66-acre plot. Groundbreaking and construction for the estimated $3 billion project is scheduled for 2023.

“I’m thrilled to join the team at Oak View Group and work alongside Marc,” Morton said. “As soon as Tim shared his vision for the Las Vegas luxury boutique hotel and casino with me, not only did I know it was going to be big, but I knew I wanted to be involved.”

Under Morton’s direction, Bellagio became the first Las Vegas casino-hotel and the largest hotel to receive the AAA Five Diamond Award. Badain’s time with the Las Vegas Raiders included overseeing the club’s business operations, including the relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas and the completion of Allegiant Stadium. Crockett most recently served as senior vice president of finance at the Wynn Macau resort in Macau, China, where he worked since 2013.

“Adding Randy to the team continues to show the commitment that Tim and Oak View Group have made to this transformative project,” Badain said.