Commissioner: PBA to always remain strong in Las Vegas

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000 | 11:06 a.m.

According to sources, the proposed sale of the Professional Bowlers Association to a group headed by former Microsoft executive Chris Peters is based on the following criteria being met by the new owners:

Absorbing and satisfying the PBA's reported $3 million debt.

Pumping an additional $1 million into the PBA prize fund over the next two years.

Establishing a comprehensive pension plan for PBA members.

Though the future of the Professional Bowlers Association remains murky as the tour awaits approval of a pending sale from its members and board of directors, the PBA's presence in Las Vegas will remain strong, according to commissioner Mark Gerberich.

The tour recently signed a three-year agreement with The Orleans, and that deal with the hotel-casino will remain intact regardless of the outcome of the proposed sale to a group headed by former Microsoft executive Chris Peters, Gerberich said.

"There will be at least three tournaments a year for the next three years in Las Vegas at The Orleans," said Gerberich of the The Orleans' Casino Open, the first of which is under way now and will conclude with stepladder finals on Friday.

The PBA's new agreement with The Orleans ended the league's long-standing agreement with the Showboat, which dated to the 1962 season. That stood as the longest-standing stop on the tour, but ended in large part because of ownership changes at the Showboat.

Votes from the PBA's 2,800 members on the league's proposed sale are expected to be counted Wednesday, although Gerberich cautioned that regardless of the outcome, it could be six weeks before the sale is approved.

"We're still working our way through this," he said. "We need a simple majority from our members, but once we have that vote, we still have a long way to go. It's not a done deal by any stretch."

Those in favor of the proposed deal point to three key provisions: the new owner's agreement to pay off a league debt that has been reported at $3 million, the investment of an additional $1 million in tour prize money over the next two years and a plan to establish a comprehensive members' pension program.

But some bowlers are said to be apprehensive of losing their membership rights if the PBA goes from a membership association to a privately owned league.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Gerberich said. "You never know what will happen when you take a vote of 2,800 people in any walk of life."