For a very long time professional sports avoided Las Vegas because the city allowed betting on games. That's something every league forbids its players from doing because, even if they bet on their own team, or games they're not playing in, athletes betting on games creates a bad look to the public.
Now, however, gambling on sports has become legal in a number of states where National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball teams play. All the leagues have embraced legalized sports betting as a revenue source and that has put Las Vegas on the table as a location for teams.
The NHL's Las Vegas Golden Knights became the first top-tier pro team to call Sin City home when it began playing at the T-Mobile Center in 2017. Located on the Las Vegas Strip, the arena has been a huge draw, bringing fans to the mostly Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and MGM Resorts International (MGM) properties nearby.
When the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, that signaled that the city could be used to leverage a better deal for teams unhappy with their home stadiums. That led to the one-time Oakland Raiders becoming the Las Vegas Raiders, and it appears to have opened the door for another team to leave Oakland for the glitz of Las Vegas.
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The Oakland A's Eye the Las Vegas Strip
The Oakland Athletics have been in active negotiations with at least five sites on, or adjacent to, the Las Vegas Strip. Now, the MLB franchise has gotten even closer to a Las Vegas move because its efforts to build a new stadium in Oakland appear to have struck out.
"The Seaport Planning Advisory Committee on Wednesday did not recommend ending the maritime use of Howard Terminal, a necessary step for the A’s to proceed with plans for $12 billion waterfront development. The project would be centered around a $1 billion ballpark," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Essentially, the Athletics are following a similar path to that of the Raiders. Both tried to use Las Vegas as leverage to get new stadiums in Oakland. That clearly failed for the Raiders and appears to be happening for the Athletics.
In both cases, it's also possible that the teams both wanted to move to Las Vegas -- and the riches that await there -- but want to show their fanbases that they tried to stay.
The A's have a number of options in Las Vegas, some buying the land on their own, others as joint partnerships.
“I think there’s some benefits to being similar to the Raiders’ setup. Where you’re still in the Resort Corridor, but it makes it a little easier for locals to get to. … But there are also really exciting opportunities to be right on the Strip. That’s kind of a Hallmark location,” A's President Dave Kaval told the Review-Journal.
Why Las Vegas Really Wants Major League Baseball
The Raiders play eight home games each season while the Golden Knights play 41. Major League Baseball plays 162 games in a normal season, meaning that the seemingly soon-to-be Las Vegas Athletics would play 81 games in Sin City (not counting any playoff appearances.
Professional sports bring people to the city and that pays off for the Las Vegas Strip casino operators. The Caesars and MGM properties around T-Mobile Arena get a rush of diners and gamblers, as well as some overnight guests from the Knights games.
Raiders games draw both fans of the team from the San Francisco Bay Area and fans of the rival teams from cities to fill up casinos, hotels, and restaurants all along The Strip. Major League Baseball would do that more often and likely with a capacity that's about double, maybe higher, than what you can pack into a hockey arena.
More sports teams also mean more opportunities to woo medium and high-rollers with free tickets.
The A's likely mean more to Vegas economically than they do to Oakland. That means a better deal for the team and leaving a small market for a bigger one that's a tourist destination likely makes this a done deal now that Oakland has given the team the cover it needs.
