"You stayed away from it,” Johnson said of teams’ relationships with casinos and gambling. "Now, you have the (Los Angeles) Lakers that have a great relationship (with casino properties) and casinos are popping up everywhere. In the state of California, you’ve got great casinos and not just casinos, but hotels. It’s great for everybody.”
Johnson was part of the group that acquired the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team in 2012 and the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team in 2014. He currently serves as president of basketball operations for the Lakers. Johnson said his success in franchise management comes from his philosophy to provide stadium amenities and a good team on the field to provide a reason for fans to attend games.
Earvin "Magic” Johnson discovered his magic touch when he recognized how he could be successful locating businesses in traditional minority neighborhoods. Venturing into the G2E crowd and mixing sports and business anecdotes with taking pictures with fans, signing autographs and flashing his million-dollar smile, Johnson described how he defied critics and built a franchise of movie theaters in poor neighborhoods and put food concessions in them that catered to neighborhood tastes.
Source: GMB / Review Journal
