Allegiant Stadium
Allegiant Stadium is a domed multi-purpose stadium located in Paradise, Nevada, southwest of adjacent Las Vegas. Opened in 2020, it is the home field of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels college football team. The stadium also hosts the Vegas Kickoff Classic in early September and the Las Vegas Bowl in December. The stadium hosted Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024.
Former names
Raiders Stadium
(early proposed renderings)
Las Vegas Stadium (planning/construction)
3333 Al Davis Way
Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
2,190 feet (670 m) AMSL
128[3]
62 acres (0.25 km2)
Bermuda grass (Raiders)
Artificial turf (UNLV)
November 13, 2017
2017–2020
July 31, 2020
ICON Venue Group[8]
Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.[10]
Mortenson Construction
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.[11]
The venue is located on about 62 acres (0.25 km2) of land west of Mandalay Bay at Russell Road and Hacienda Avenue, between Polaris Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, just west of Interstate 15. At $1.9 billion, it is the second-most expensive stadium in the world. Taxpayers shouldered $750 million of the cost of construction.[12] Construction of the stadium began on November 13, 2017, and its certificate of occupancy was issued on July 31, 2020.[13] Due to the stadium's round & dark exterior design, it has also garnered the nickname of "Roomba" because of its resemblance to the automatic vacuum. [14]
History[edit]
Planning and approval[edit]
In January 2016, reports emerged that Las Vegas Sands was considering developing a stadium in conjunction with Majestic Realty and UNLV, on a 42-acre (17 ha) site on Tropicana Avenue owned by UNLV.[26] UNLV had been in the market for a new stadium to replace Sam Boyd Stadium since at least 2011.[27]
Raiders owner Mark Davis visited Las Vegas on January 29, 2015, to tour the site and meet with Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson and other local figures.[28] The Raiders, who had been trying to get a new stadium built for the team since the 1980s, had just missed out on relocating to Los Angeles that same month with the Rams and Chargers moving into a new stadium in Inglewood, California, and were at an impasse in Oakland. In order for the team to relocate to Las Vegas, a new stadium was required, since Sam Boyd Stadium was undersized for the NFL and there were no other professional-caliber stadiums in Nevada. The Raiders had previously played a preseason game in Las Vegas at Cashman Field against the Houston Oilers during the 1964 American Football League (AFL) preseason and owner Al Davis considered relocating the team there.
On March 21, 2016, when asked about Las Vegas, Davis said, "I think the Raiders like the Las Vegas plan," and "it's a very very very intriguing and exciting plan." Davis also met with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval about the stadium plan. On April 1, 2016, Davis met with UNLV officials and toured Sam Boyd Stadium to evaluate whether it could serve as a temporary home for the team.
On April 28, 2016, Davis said he wanted to move the Raiders to Las Vegas and pledged $500 million toward constructing the proposed $1.4-billion domed stadium.[29][30] "Together we can turn the Silver State into the silver and black state," Davis said.[29][31]
In the spring of 2016, the board of directors of Las Vegas Sands rejected Adelson's stadium proposal. Adelson decided to move ahead with the stadium as an individual investment, pledging $650 million of his personal wealth to the project.[32]
The viability of the Tropicana Avenue site was called into serious question in June 2016, when Southwest Airlines objected to the location because its proximity to the northern end of one of Harry Reid International Airport's runways could negatively affect the safety and capacity of air traffic at the airport.[33] The list of potential locations soon expanded to nine candidates, including the sites of the Wild Wild West casino, the Wynn golf course, the Riviera casino, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, and Cashman Center.[34] By September, the list was narrowed to two possibilities: the Bali Hai Golf Club, south of Mandalay Bay, and a vacant lot on Russell Road, just west of Interstate 15.[35]
On August 25, 2016, the Raiders filed a trademark application for "Las Vegas Raiders" on the same day renderings of a proposed stadium design were released.[36] On September 15, 2016, the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee unanimously voted to recommend and approve $750 million for the Las Vegas stadium plan.[37]
Majestic Realty revealed in October 2016 that it had withdrawn from the stadium project.[38]
In October 2016, Sandoval called a special session of the Nevada Legislature to consider the stadium and other tourism-related proposals.[39] The funding bill for the stadium was approved by a 16–5 vote in the Senate and by 28–13 in the Assembly, and was signed into law by Sandoval on October 17.[40][41][42][43] The bill allowed Clark County to increase its hotel tax to raise the $750 million in funding.[44]
Financing[edit]
The original budget for construction of the stadium was $1.8 billion.[76] The budget was increased twice in 2019.[77] The first time was in May 2019 when the trusses had to be retrofitted.[78] Don Webb received an additional $40 million at the May 23, 2020, Stadium Authority Board meeting to cover the overages.[79] The second time was in September 2019. Don Webb received another $90 million to cover the extra shifts required to fix the broken truss issue.[80] The overages increased the new budget to $1.97 billion; $200 million over the original budget of $1.8 billion. Ultimately, the stadium was completed $25 million under the increased budget but $175 million over the original $1.8 billion budget.[81]
Of this $2 billion, $78 million was spent to purchase the land, $1.33 billion was spent on construction, $123 million on furniture, fixtures, and equipment, $234 million on design and engineering, and $31 million on utilities and infrastructure.[82][83] Some reports gave a budget of $2 billion, which also included $100 million to build a separate Raiders practice facility.[84]
The financing for the project came in the form of $750 million in public funding and $1.1 billion from the Raiders.[85] The public portion of the funding came from municipal bonds issued by Clark County, backed by the proceeds of a special tax on hotel rooms in the Las Vegas area, which took effect in March 2017.[86] The Raiders' contribution included a $650 million loan from Bank of America, $200 million from the NFL's stadium loan program, and $300 million from sales of personal seat licenses at the stadium, naming rights for the stadium, and sponsorships.[87] On August 5, 2019, the Raiders announced the team had reached an agreement with Summerlin-based Allegiant Air's owner, Allegiant Travel Company, for the naming rights for the first 30 years of the stadium's use beginning in 2020.[88]
Local government does not receive any rent or revenue sharing from the stadium, because such an arrangement would not be compatible with the tax-exempt status of the bonds that were issued for stadium construction.[89] Proponents instead argued that the public financing would be justified by increased economic activity and tax revenue related to the stadium.[90] Critics have argued that the economic projections were based on overly optimistic assumptions.[91][92]
A total of $645 million in construction bonds sold out in 90 minutes in April 2018, representing Clark County's contribution to the project beyond room taxes already collected.[93]