It’s been a long time coming and, as with anything in the world, the deal isn’t done until it’s signed, but the prospect of La Vegas playing host to a major football team got a whole lot closer recently.
Sin City is hoping to woo the Oakland Raiders from their Californian base across the state line to Nevada. The Nevada legislature last month approved a plan October to use $750million of public money to help build a £1.4billion domed NFL stadium. It was a tight vote in the legislature, but it squeezed through, with State Governor Brian Sandoval signing the deal after the Nevada Senate gave its final approval.
The owners of the other 31 NFL teams still have to approve the move, with the Raiders needing a three-fourths majority for it to go through, but with Oakland failing to support the Raiders by helping fund a new home, there are positive signs a deal will be done.
The Las Vegas effect
For a long time, Las Vegas was effectively shunned by the top professional sports leagues in the US because of fears over the potential for game fixing. With the city being a mecca for gamblers, you can understand the wariness.
Yet last year brought a big step forward for major sport in Las Vegas when the NHL added the city to its league of 30 teams. The new team is expected to unveil its name towards the end of the year, and will begin playing in the 2017-18 NHL season, with its home being the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
It appears the spread of sports betting into nearly every US state made the leagues realize that the threat to their games from gambling was less than they had once considered.
Nowadays, if you want to have a wager, you can do it from anywhere on your tablet or smartphone, and daily fantasy sports companies let you bet on line-ups of your own design. Add in the fact that 19 NFL stadiums have a casino less than 20 miles away, and you get a clearer idea of why leagues are starting to look to Las Vegas.
You can also factor in that the city is arguably the country’s premier center for entertainment, as well as just gambling, and has tourism infrastructure, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions, that can handle vast numbers of people.
Adding sporting value
If the Oakland Raiders do move to Las Vegas, it will add another major national sport to the city’s allure. With an NHL team in situ, champing at the bit to get going, having a top football team will give both residents and visitors another major attraction.
If the city does pull it off, don’t expect the team to start playing there immediately, as there’s a stadium to be built first. However, the move would increase the chances of top basketball and baseball leagues considering Las Vegas.
Whether that happens is anyone’s guess, but with potential huge demand for these sports in Las Vegas, it seems safe to assume the NBA and the MLB will be watching with interest.
Entertainment infrastructure
Las Vegas is nothing if not the guarantee of a good time, no matter what kind of budget you’re on. The city is a magnet for tourists, and is home to some of the world’s greatest hotels and state-of-the-arts casinos.
One of the major players in the hotel and resort sector is Wynn Resorts Chairman of the Board and CEO Steve Wynn. Wynn Resorts owns and operate a number of leading resorts in Las Vegas and in Macau, China. A pioneer in luxury resort and hotel development, Wynn was a prime mover in establishing Las Vegas as one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations.
If you’re a sports fan and you want to try something different to the casinos and other forms of entertainment traditionally associated with Las Vegas, it’s unlikely you won’t be able to find an attraction that appeals to you. That’s because the addition of top sporting action to Las Vegas means you are spoilt for choice as to what to do until you’re ready to head back to your luxury hotel to relax.
It’s an exciting time for Las Vegas; the addition of the Raiders and the building of new infrastructure that would no doubt encourage will reinvigorate the city and attract football fans from all over the country, and beyond.