\n Posted on: January 24, 2026, 04:13h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: January 24, 2026, 04:13h.\n <\/p>\n
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- The San Francisco Centre mall is closing for good on Monday.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- A poll indicates some residents would like to see the property turned into a casino or Sphere.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Most want it converted to an entertainment or housing.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The San Francisco Centre mall, previously that city\u2019s largest shopping venue, is closing permanently on Monday and area residents have some ideas about what the property\u2019s future should hold. Perhaps surprisingly, some say a casino or another iteration of the Las Vegas Sphere are desirable.<\/p>\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SFC-430x242.jpg\")
San Francisco Centre mall. Some locals would like to see the property converted into a casino or Sphere. (Image: YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n To be sure, a recent poll on the issue conducted by The San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> <\/em>indicates 40% of those queried would like to see the shuttered shopping property turned into an entertainment venue while 30% say it should be converted into housing \u2014 a practical idea given the city\u2019s housing needs.<\/p>\n
Some respondents said housing should be the priority while others said the property could be used as a new campus for San Francisco State University. The option of turning the once iconic mall into pickleball courts finished last, according to the newspaper.<\/strong><\/p>\n
San Francisco Centre is closing due to years of declining foot traffic, resulting in the loss of several marquee tenants.<\/p>\n
A San Francisco Sphere?<\/h2>\n
Sphere Entertainment, the operator of the Las Vegas Sphere, is in expansion mode. It recently announced a plan to bring a \u201cmini Sphere<\/a>\u201d to the area near MGM National Harbor in Maryland and in 2024, the company unveiled a pitch for a similar structure in Abu Dhabi<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThe combined population of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland is more than 2.2 people, confirming the city by the bay is a desirable location for another Sphere, but the company hasn\u2019t publicly said San Francisco is on its radar. Likewise, city officials haven\u2019t signaled they\u2019re on board with the idea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
There are other factors that may signal a Sphere in San Francisco is a far-flung concept. First, some cities are resistant to Sphere expansion overtures, declining to add the immersive entertainment venue due to lighting and noise issues.<\/p>\n
Second, not only could San Francisco fall into the camp, but the city is also notoriously difficult in which to get approvals for new construction.<\/p>\n
San Francisco Casino Would Be Attractive, But\u2026<\/h2>\n
The idea of a casino in San Francisco could be intriguing from a revenue-generating standpoint. For example, Wynn Resorts\u2019 Encore Boston Harbor<\/a> and MGM Resorts International\u2019s National Harbor \u2014 two gaming venues located near major urban areas \u2014 are two of the highest-grossing regional casinos in the US.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019d be a matter of getting city officials and residents on board with the idea and that\u2019s not an easy task. San Francisco isn\u2019t known as a gaming mecca, though there was some momentum in the late 1980s to turn Alcatraz Island into a gaming venue, but that idea didn\u2019t gain enough support because the National Parks Service, which maintains the property, said it\u2019d be a bad look to have a casino on federally maintained land.<\/p>\n
All forms of gaming expansion in California run through the state\u2019s tribal casino operators, meaning that if a casino comes to life in San Francisco, it\u2019d be controlled by one of those entities.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
- A poll indicates some residents would like to see the property turned into a casino or Sphere.<\/strong><\/li>\n