Is Las Vegas witnessing a stadium battle?

With the gambling market on a downward slide since its peak in 2007, Las Vegas is witnessing a radical shift in its events scene and with that a strong impetus in the venues and stadium sector. If one is to believe a recent report, there’s nearly a “stadium battle going on in Las Vegas”.

Following the completion of the T-Mobile Arena on The Strip’s south side by MGM Resorts and AEG recently, now Casino-giant Las Vegas Sands in a joint venture with Madison Square Garden Company have announced their plans to build a 17,500-seater concert venue on the north side, behind the Venetian’s Convention Center.

In line with its image as the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’, Vegas already boasts of an array of venues including the MGM Grand Garden, Thomas & Mack Center and Mandalay Bay Events Center. But behold, that’s not enough!

The glam city in the state of Nevada has grand plans of entering the National Footbal League (NFL) with Las Vegas Sands’ proposed $1 billion football stadium. The domed stadium will be built on 42 acres of land near the University of Nevada that would house the school’s football team – and aim to host an NFL franchise as well.

A recent report in the fool.com explains the rationale behind Las Vegas Sands expansion plans. “Since opening, T-Mobile Arena has been filled with everything from concerts to award shows and the upcoming UFC 200. As the largest venue in Las Vegas, and 3,200 seats larger than MGM Grand Garden, the venue will likely be a big draw to the south side of The Strip. And that’s exactly what Las Vegas Sands is worried about.”

The report further reasons that since most of these venues are on the south side of the Las Vegas Strip, the resorts on the north side are anxious fearing they might lose out on tourists and revenues. “That isn’t lost on resorts on the north side. If all of the big events in Las Vegas are on the south side, it’ll create a natural flow of traffic and hotel room demand on that side of The Strip, which is dominated by MGM Resorts,” the report states.

That explains why Las Vegas Sands want a new stadium that could attract and pull events to its side of town, on the north. The report however ends with a cautionary warning: “The one problem is that there are only so many shows going through Las Vegas that can draw 20,000 people, and there will be multiple arenas competing for these shows. That could make the stadium itself a money-losing endeavour.”

Only time will tell, if the ‘stadium battle’ in Las Vegas will really see any winner!

At the 2nd Coliseum Summit AMERICAS in Las Vegas, scheduled for October 26-27 this year, we will try to get more details on new stadium and arena plans in the city. Registration to the conference: click here.

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