The Oakland Raiders are shopping for a new home, and Las Vegas is stepping up with a bid that is said to be very serious.
The owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino group, Sheldon Adelson, wants to build a billion dollar domed 65,000-seat stadium on the UNLV campus that would be shared by an NFL team. He is scheduled to meet with Raiders owner Mark Davis on Friday to make his pitch.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole says the possibility of the Raiders going to Las Vegas is “very real.”
Told by source idea of #Raiders moving to Vegas is very real. Mark Davis and Sheldon Adelson have been discussing it for two years.
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) January 29, 2016
Adelson, who owns the Venetian and Palazzo hotels in Las Vegas, would likely pair up with other investors to make the project happen. Getting an NFL team would be a huge boon for the city, whose economy is heavily based on tourism.
The Raiders currently do not have a lease next season. They are negotiating with their current home — the Oakland Coliseum — which is heavily outdated and pathetically unprofessional. They have also explored the possibility of moving to San Antonio and San Diego.
The Raiders recently had a joint proposal with the Chargers to move to Carson, Calif., but their bid lost to the Rams’ proposal to move to Inglewood, which the NFL owners approved. The Chargers have a year to decide if they want to move to Los Angeles and join the Rams in Inglewood. If they decline, the option goes to the Raiders.
Though some seem to be optimistic about the possibility of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, the idea seems far-fetched. Because gambling is legal in Nevada, professional sports leagues have long opposed having teams in the city. It is unlikely for the NFL to feel differently.
