NFL Approves Oakland Raiders, Stadium Authority Las Vegas Lease

Featured ColumnistMay 23, 2017

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis, right, emerges from the NFL football annual meetings with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, after owners approved the move of the Raiders to Las Vegas, Monday, March 27, 2017, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Oakland Raiders are one step closer to moving to Las Vegas after the NFL approved the team's lease with the Stadium Authority, per Clark County commission chair Steve Sisolak.

"It was a big step," Raiders owner Mark Davis said, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "...a well-done process."

Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, the move had been unanimously approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority last Thursday.

The $1.9 billion stadium is expected to open in 2020 with 65,000 seats and a dome. The location is on a 62-acre plot the team bought west of Interstate 15 and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

While the team has yet to break ground on the new stadium, there has already been plenty of controversy surrounding the move.

Henry Grabar of Slate (via Business Insider) called it the "worst stadium deal in the world." The funding includes $750 million from tax revenue.

According to David Purdum of ESPN, fans will also reportedly be able to gamble from their phone within the stadium.

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The league's owners voted 31-1 in March to approve the Raiders' relocation.