Reports: Mark Davis to pledge Raiders move to Las Vegas if domed stadium is built
http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports...raiders-move-las-vegas-if-domed-stadium-built
The Oakland Raiders will seek relocation to Las Vegas if a domed stadium is built here, according to two reports.
Both Sports Illustrated and the Bleacher Report reported Monday that Raiders owner Mark Davis will pledge Thursday to move the team to Southern Nevada if a 65,000-seat stadium is built along Tropicana Avenue near the Strip.
Davis is scheduled to appear Thursday — the same day as the NFL Draft’s first round — at a Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee meeting at UNLV. A plan to build a $1.3 billion domed stadium will be discussed at that meeting.
The reports said Davis will promise Thursday to make the “Las Vegas Raiders” happen if the stadium is built. Multiple Review-Journal requests for comment from Davis were unsuccessful.
The stadium project is backed by casino operator Las Vegas Sands and Majestic Realty. In a preliminary funding plan, the companies proposed that tourist taxes cover about two-thirds of the project’s cost. Las Vegas Sands officials have said the project, which also would serve as the new home for the UNLV football team, is economically viable and would move forward regardless of whether an NFL team moved here because it would attract new special events and increase visitation.
The tourism infrastructure committee will issue recommendations this summer and does not have the authority to approve the stadium project. The use of tax dollars to fund the stadium would require the approval of the Nevada Legislature. Unless called into special session, the Legislature will not convene until February 2017.
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Even if the Las Vegas stadium were built, the Raiders would require three-quarters approval from NFL owners, or 24 of 32 votes, to relocate. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reported there is a growing sentiment among owners to allow the move, but some old-school owners such as John Mara of the New York Giants are against a franchise moving to Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, ESPN reported that the Raiders are close to selling out their season tickets for the first time in franchise history. Mark Davis said the team might “have a waiting list for season tickets for the first time.”
Raiders President Marc Badain said the team’s season ticket numbers in Oakland have grown from 30,000 in 2013 to almost 50,000 for next season.