Under a 10-year deal that starts this year, Las Vegas Events "will be doling out" $10M in prize money to the 120 cowboys competing in seven categories at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Thomas & Mack Center, according to Alan Snel of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. That is a "big jump" from the $6.375M the contestants earned last year. Las Vegas Events, the event promotional arm of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA), "pumped up the prize money to keep the NFR in Las Vegas" and to deter the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association from "moving it to either the Orlando area or Texas." Las Vegas Events "will go from making" about $1M on the rodeo to losing about $2M a year. But Las Vegas Events President Pat Christenson said that the LVCVA "will make up the loss to Las Vegas Events." Snel notes the annual loss is the "price Las Vegas Events has to pay in order to keep the prized rodeo in Las Vegas." Under the deal, Las Vegas Events "pays the prize money, markets the NFR, sells the tickets and arranges the venue." Last year's 10-day attendance at Thomas & Mack "was 177,565, a record." Christenson "expects another 40,000 rodeo fans every night at some of the 40 hotels in Las Vegas that will be hosting NFR watch parties." In all, there will be 42 NFR "satellite feed locations to watch the live rodeo action." The '15 NFR runs Dec. 3-12 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/17).
