The negotiation, as both parties expected, was quite tough. They were not willing to compromise on certain conditions, leading to intense contention.
In terms of intensity, this negotiation was no less than an NBA Finals, testing both parties physically and mentally.
The main points of contention were twofold: first, Stern demanded that Las Vegas suspend all basketball-related betting projects.
This was obviously unacceptable for Las Vegas, as basketball betting is a major part of gambling, and axing it would significantly reduce Las Vegas's profits and turnover.
Gan Guoyang proposed the establishment of an oversight committee, with other league staff serving concurrently in committee positions, to set up an office in Las Vegas to monitor the flow of gambling funds and ensure betting does not affect the game results.
Stern naturally disagreed with this suggestion, believing that a committee could not prevent gambling from infiltrating the games.
