The Oakland Raiders have officially filed paperwork to relocate to Las Vegas, says Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak. He tweeted about the relocation on Thursday morning.
It is official! The @RAIDERS have filed their paperwork to relocate to #LasVegas.
— Steve Sisolak (@SteveSisolak) January 19, 2017
"Today we moved one step closer to having an NFL team to call our own," Sisolak said. "This is very exciting for Las Vegas. Many great people have put in a lot of time and effort to get us this far.
"I am especially appreciative of the commitment from the Raiders organization, specifically Mark Davis and Marc Badain, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the tireless efforts of the Adelson family. I am optimistically looking forward to the league meetings, and hope that someday soon we will be able to welcome the Las Vegas Raiders to Nevada."
The NFL also released the following statement:
Statement from the @NFL making it official - @RAIDERS applied to move to Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/wbuKN1bij3
— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) January 19, 2017
Owner Mark Davis said that he plans on playing a few more seasons in Oakland while the new stadium in Las Vegas is being built.
After the relocation paperwork is filed, a series of committee meetings will take place to analyze the move, followed by a vote among NFL owners in late March.
The Raiders' move to Las Vegas would require the approval from three-quarters of NFL owners. Most experts don't expect a vote until March.
The move is enticing for Raiders owner Mark Davis and the rest of the team, as Las Vegas has promised to build a $1.9 billion stadium for the franchise. To build the stadium, $500 million will come from the NFL and the Raiders, $750 million will come from an increased hotel room tax, and $650 million will come from the Sheldon Adelson family.
