A Las Vegas investment group is proposing to build a stadium near the UNLV campus, and the Raiders are slated to meet with leaders about that project on Friday morning.
Sands spokesman Ron Reese told the Associated Press Thursday that the company envisions a public-private partnership to build a $1 billion domed stadium that could be shared by a professional team as well as UNLV. Sands owner Sheldon Adelson scheduled a Friday meeting with Raiders owner Mark Davis, although Reese didn't elaborate on the nature of their discussions.
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Las Vegas Sands has had conversations with other teams as well.
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"We are moving forward with the stadium concept with or without an NFL team," Andy Abboud, senior VP of government relations told the Review-Journal. "We see a lot more opportunities — conference championships, bowl games, NFL exhibition football, boxing, soccer, neutral site games, and music festivals. There is an entire segment out there."
[BAIR: Source: Raiders negotiating short-term lease with O.co]
The Raiders are looking for a long-term stadium solution after striking out on a Los Angeles relocation attempt earlier this month. They have struggled to make progress on their desire to remain in Oakland, where they played before 1982 and from 1995 on.
The Raiders have been linked to relocation options in San Antonio. Sources have told CSN California’s Scott Bair the Silver and Black would consider San Diego as an option if the Chargers where to exercise an option to join the Rams’ Inglewood project, which was approved by NFL owners. The Rams will play in L.A. in 2016, and the Chargers could join them this coming season or in a year’s time.
NFL
The Raiders have an option to join the Inglewood project if the Chargers choose to stay in San Diego.
Finding an actionable stadium solution is not the only issue with a move to Las Vegas. Sports gambling is legal in Nevada and prevalent in Las Vegas. The NFL has been cautious to avoid associations with sports betting, which could make the league adverse to putting a team in that market.
Las Vegas is also a relatively small media market, ranking No. 40 in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.