Oakland Raiders’ Relocation to Las Vegas Confirmed, Construction of $1.9 Billion NFL Stadium Underway

By Carlo Monzon
Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) smiles on the sideline with teammates during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Coliseum. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Oakland Raiders 23-21.  Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Reports of the Oakland Raiders relocating to a new home have been circulating for some time now. This time though, the relocation might really happen since a stadium is now being built in Las Vegas just for the Raiders organization.

The mastermind behind the stadium is Sheldon Adelson, the CEO of Las Vegas Sands. The project, which is valued at $1.9 billion, focuses on an NFL stadium in the heart of the city. According to Adelson, he has already spoken to Raiders owner Mark Davis about the possible relocation.

According to reports, Davis has been on the lookout for opportunities to take the Raiders out of Oakland. Although he wasn't able to do this before due to the lack of proper resources, he will most likely be able to do so now with the help of Adelson.

"If [Mark Davis] wants to come to Vegas, he's gotta get a team, he's gotta get a stadium," Adelson said. "He can't build a stadium himself, otherwise he would have built it in Oakland. He needs somebody to build it and he needs somebody with a deep pocket that can guarantee it and somebody with some political influence that can arrange to get the money from the room tax."

"I'm one of the four big operators in town, so it's not difficult for me," he added. "I've done a lot of buildings and I can guarantee the construction. And is the local government knows I'm behind it, they can feel comfortable because I've changed the town, in regards to conventions."

Talks about relocating the Raiders have been around for some time now. These intensified in June this year when the Oakland franchise distributed survey forms to about 10,000 homes in Las Vegas to get the public view about the idea of relocating the team.

Despite playing a huge role in the relocation of the team, Adelson admitted that he's not a big NFL or football fan. Instead, he said that for him, the project is more about developing the city's local economy.

"I'm doing it because we see there could be some advantages to the whole community - not necessarily on the NFL side, because it's very difficult for us to make any money from the stadium just with the NFL team," he said. "The only opportunity for us to make money is from the activities other than football."

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