The NFL’s Oakland Raiders will relocate to Las Vegas if a proposed .3 billion domed stadium on the UNLV campus is built, Sports Illustrated reports.
Owner Mark Davis met with the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on April 28, to discuss a potential move to Las Vegas.
During the meeting, he was to tell the committee the Raiders would relocate to Las Vegas, if the stadium is built. The committee is tasked with assessing infrastructure needs in Southern Nevada, and building the proposed 65,000-seat stadium could be a priority recommendation this summer.
Relocating the Raiders anywhere would require 24 votes from NFL team owners.
UNLV owns a 42-acre tract of mostly vacant land located on its campus on the north side of Tropicana Avenue and directly across from McCarran International Airport.
At least one study shows a stadium project could be built on the site, with only a portion of its western-most land being restricted by Federal Aviation Administration requirements. UNLV currently plays its home football games at the antiquated Sam Boyd Stadium, which is located several miles east of the university and regarded as one of the nation’s worst stadium venues.
Las Vegas Sands principal owner Sheldon Adelson supports the proposed stadium, as does Majestic Realty, and both say they support moving ahead with the project, whether or not the Raiders are coming.
Some skeptics say the Raiders only are using Las Vegas as leverage for a potential move elsewhere, such as San Diego, which recently lost its Chargers franchise and has a football stadium in need of a team.
Whether or not the Raiders come, supporters say the new venue would attract new events, host UNLV home football games and the annual Las Vegas Bowl, plus other events.
That would mean Sam Boyd Stadium might become another demolition project in the near future.
