Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. will "lead a consortium of investors planning to build" a $1B domed stadium on 42 acres near UNLV, and Raiders Owner Mark Davis is "expected to tour the site Friday," according to a front-page piece by Howard Stutz of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Las Vegas Sands Senior VP/Government Relations & Community Development Andy Abboud said that Las Vegas "needs a modern stadium with at least 65,000 seats to drive additional tourism to Southern Nevada." He said, "We are moving forward with the stadium concept with or without an NFL team." Stutz notes the project, so far only a concept, involves L.A.-based Majestic Realty Co. and UNLV, which "bought 42 vacant acres along Tropicana Avenue east of Koval Lane earlier this month." Abboud said that the project would be a "'public-private partnership' in which Las Vegas Sands or the Adelson family," which owns the company, would "contribute an unspecified large portion of the financing." He said that the company, which operates The Venetian and Palazzo, as well as casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania, also "could raise financing for the project" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez noted Sands Chair & CEO Sheldon Adelson has "scheduled a Friday meeting in Las Vegas" with Davis. UNLV is "looking for a new home for its football program, which has played at 35,500-seat Sam Boyd Stadium some nine miles from campus on the eastern edge of the city" since '71. While Las Vegas is a "relatively small media market at No. 41 nationally, it is bigger than four other current NFL markets" -- Jacksonville (No. 48), New Orleans (No. 51), Buffalo (No. 52) and Green Bay (No. 68). Support from Adelson, who has "consistently ranked as one of the world's richest people, could mean a better fate for the latest proposal" (ESPN.com, 1/28).
ROAD RAIDERS: Bleacher Report's Jason Cole cited a source as saying that the idea of the Raiders "moving to Vegas is very real." Davis and Adelson have been "discussing it for two years" (TWITTER.com, 1/28). In Las Vegas, Mark Anderson writes the NFL "probably would fight the Raiders if they decided to move to Las Vegas because the league has taken a public stance against legalized sports wagering." Even if Davis "decides to seriously pursue Las Vegas as an option, the league likely won't do anything to help him" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). Abboud: "We feel this project will go forward without an NFL team, because there isn't one right now. But we are talking to NFL teams to see if they would be interested. This is first and foremost about the community and UNLV and about enhancing visitation. We're aware of the (Raiders) situation, but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be other (NFL) teams interested in Las Vegas. It's a market for a team" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29).
LEERY LEAGUE: ESPN's Dan Graziano said the thought around the NFL is there is a "better chance of moving the Raiders here to Bristol, Connecticut, than there would be to moving them to Las Vegas.” The NFL has "really resisted getting involved with anything involving gambling," including the fact they "pushed back on efforts to expand sports betting in places where it's legal, like New Jersey and Delaware." Graziano: "They don't want a team in Las Vegas. They don't want anything to do with Las Vegas and all that would connote in terms of the connection to gambling" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/29). SportsCorp President Marc Ganis said that of the four major sports leagues, the NFL is the "least comfortable with open gambling on games and has never wanted a team in Las Vegas." Ganis: "I don't think anybody is ready for it today." In Oakland, Matthew Artz notes the NFL also "frowns on having stadiums owned by private operators not affiliated with the team that plays there." Ganis: "That is another mouth feeding at the trough" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 1/29). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted the NFL previously has "made clear that it has no interest in moving a team to Las Vegas, due to the legality of sports gambling there." It is "likely just a matter of time before the league makes it clear that the Raiders won’t be permitted to move to Las Vegas" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 1/28).
OPINIONS ABOUND: Top Rank Chair Bob Arum said, "This stadium would be great for the city. I could see big NFL games being played there. The Pro Bowl could be there. Hosting college combines is another event. It would be perfect for big concerts" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). Fidelity National Financial Chair Bill Foley, who is leading the effort to bring an NHL team to Las Vegas, said that he would "welcome a move" of the Raiders to the city. Foley: "I'd buy a suite" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney in a front-page piece writes there "isn't a better franchise in which to challenge the NFL's sanctimonious and fascist ways when it comes to this city landing a team." The Raiders "aren't just an ideal fit for Las Vegas," they are "a perfect one" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). Betting firm William Hill Book Dir Nick Bogdanovich said, "Of all the teams to come here, the Raiders would be the perfect fit. It's a renegade team. We're ready for a franchise. I think they would sell out every game with no problem" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). In Las Vegas, Ray Brewer writes, "If the NFL wants to come to Las Vegas, we should stop at nothing to make it happen. That includes ... finding public money to help build the stadium." But the NFL "isn’t forward-thinking enough to allow one of its teams to call Las Vegas home because it’s scared of sports gambling and the perception games could be fixed" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 1/29). Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino VP/Race & Sports Operations Jay Kornegay said it was a "long shot" for the Raiders to move to the city. Kornegay: "The NFL might be looking at London, or even Barcelona or Frankfurt. If I had to make odds on it, I’d certainly make all those cities the favorite over Las Vegas getting the next NFL team” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/29).
OPEN TO CHANGE? In Las Vegas, Ron Kantowski writes the NFL might finally be "starting to come out of its three-point stance on the gambling issue, or at least has come to the conclusion that a major motion picture about rampant concussions sustained by NFL players is a more pressing concern than the point spread at the Pro Bowl" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29). Also in Las Vegas, Matt Youmans writes if the Raiders were to move to Las Vegas, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's anti-gambling policy "will be put to the test and challenged by the state's bookmakers, among others." If the NFL "requested any type of betting ban, it would be up to the Nevada Gaming Control Board to approve or deny it," and a strong case "can be made for a denial" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/29).
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: 49ers CEO Jed York said Levi's Stadium remains an option for the Raiders, but it is up to them "where they want to go with things." York: "We obviously built the stadium in Santa Clara for potentially two teams, but the NFL certainly isn’t enforcing that. ... If they want to sit down, we’re always happy to sit down and try to figure something out. But we’re not trying to put pressure on them." He added Davis "needs to figure out what he wants to do, and we’ll be supportive of that, whatever that means” (“The Rich Eisen Show,” 1/28).
