The season ticket drive for an expansion team in Las Vegas is underway. The drive is designed to gauge interest in a potential expansion team in Vegas and the reported bar the drive needs to hit is 10,000 tickets. Via THN, the drive is reportedly for seats for the 2016-17 season.
The 10,000 line the drive needs to hit seems relatively low. Expansion teams almost always have a huge amount of interest at the beginning, which should make selling 10,000 a fairly simple task. By comparison, Winnipeg needed to hit 13,000 tickets prior to the Atlanta Thrashers relocating up north. Winnipeg may be a special case, but they hit their goal within an hour.
Hockey fans in Vegas apparently have a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to season tickets.
Via THN:
Las Vegas’ potential franchise is offering season ticket holders a wide-range of options. Deposits can range from $150 to $900 with a commitment of up to 10 years. Winnipeg’s drive locked fans in to either three- or five-year commitments. If the ticket drive fails or Las Vegas isn’t awarded a team, the 10 percent deposits will be refunded to those that bought in.
In summary, it’s up to Vegas hockey fans to decide if a hockey team will arrive in 2016-17. The 10,000 goal seems simple enough – especially if casinos and companies get on board – but we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out.
The bigger question and perhaps the larger concern is whether Vegas can sustain a team beyond the first few years. What will the attendance look like when the novelty wears off? Predicting long-term success in Sin City is the area where most hockey analysts get stuck. You could make a strong case both for and against long-term success for the NHL in Vegas.