The National Football League may have just one moved giant step closer from Oakland to Las Vegas. A total of $750 million in public funding has been approved by an oversight committee to be put to use to construct a state-of-the-art football and entertainment venue, which will likely be used to lure an NFL franchise to Las Vegas. The Raiders are likely to be the targeted team.
The vote from the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee reportedly passed unanimously. The money for the public funding will come from hotel tax revenue, and won’t even cost half of the proposed $1.9 billion structure. Despite the high cost, the long-term investment figures to be worth the cost as Las Vegas will likely plan to host the Raiders, college football, a Super Bowl, college football bowl games, concerts, and more at the 65,000-seat facility.
So, what’s next?
Next steps: Gov needs to call on Nevada lawmakers so developers have time to make @RAIDERS relocation case to NFL. @News3LV #LasVegas
— Nathan O'Neal (@NateNews3LV) September 15, 2016
Yes, the Raiders moving to Las Vegas is a slow and steady process with a number of hurdles to clear before becoming a reality, but much of this process is strictly a formality. The NFL and the Raiders have never publicly said the team will relocate to Las Vegas once a stadium is constructed, although that seems to be something that would be more likely to be discussed behind closed doors in the company of rich elitists before trickling out to the public.
For years, professional sports have looked to keep their distance from Las Vegas. The NHL bit the bullet earlier this year with the announcement of an expansion team to begin play at the T-Mobile Center, and now Las Vegas is daring the NFL and others to look the other way. With a stadium of this magnitude, that might be impossible.
