A new party has expressed an interest in purchasing the O.Co Coliseum, which could result in the stadium’s tenant, NFL American football team the Oakland Raiders, staying in California.
Raiders owner Mark Davis is pressing ahead with plans to relocate the team from Oakland to Las Vegas, and last week the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee (SNTIC) voted unanimously in favour of recommending $750m (€671m) in public funding for a new stadium in the Nevada city.
The team has a contract to stay at O.Co Coliseum for the remainder of the 2016 season and also has the option to extend the deal into 2017 and 2018.
A group led by former Raiders player Ronnie Lott has now emerged, with the aim of buying the stadium and the surrounding land. The East Bay Times newspaper reported that the bid currently stands at $167.3m. Sources told the newspaper that the initial bid was swiftly rejected, but the group remains committed to agreeing a deal.
Meanwhile, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has expressed his support for the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas after holding constructive talks with Davis. Sandoval feels building a new stadium in Las Vegas would make the city more popular for tourists.
In a statement reported by the ESPN website, he said: “We can and must usher in a new era for tourism in the Las Vegas market, while keeping our citizens and visitors safe, and ensuring our position as the global leader in entertainment and hospitality.”
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