(image of the CFP Championship trophy, courtesy of College Football Playoffs)
By Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
Perhaps, considering its bid to bring a College Football Playoff championship game to Allegiant Stadium, it should be renamed the Las Vegas Convention, Visitors and Sports Authority.
Intent on growing beyond a gambling and entertainment capital, Las Vegas is pouring another $40 million into its burgeoning sports market, hoping to land a date with the CFP championship sometime between 2027 and 2031.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors approved the expense at its Jan. 14 regular meeting, authorizing CEO Steve Hill to represent the influential tourism agency in negotiating an agreement for a future national college championship game.
Game expenses will comprise $25 million of the budget, with $15 million set aside for contingency.
Las Vegas would become the sixth city in the nation to host a Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and CFP championship, notes Lisa Motley, vice president of sports and special events. She estimates the game will attract 70,000 fans. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
The 2025 CFB championship will be played Jan. 20 between the Ohio State Buckeyes, favored by 9 ½ points, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The convention authority will act in an organizational role, much the same as it did for the Super Bowl, Motley says. Expenses include game management and event goods and services; marketing and advertising; event permits; team practice sites and facilities; and law enforcement, security, and emergency response.
It’s another opportunity for Las Vegas to showcase a major sporting event, piling onto Super Bowl LVIII that was played for the first time at Allegiant Stadium, Formula One Grand Prix, National Finals Rodeo, and NCAA Final Four coming to T-Mobile Arena in 2028.
Hill is also leading the push to build a domed, 35,000-seat MLB stadium on the former Tropicana hotel and casino site, proposed as the future home of the ousted Oakland Athletics.
In other agenda items:
- The board approved a $350,000 agreement with ASM Global to host a football game of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) at Allegiant Stadium in October. Motley points out that 55 current or former Raiders attended HBCU schools, including Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice.
- The board approved a $650,000 agreement with USA Wrestling to host the 2026 under-20 World Championships and 2027 Senior World Championships at Thomas & Mack Center.
- A bid for purchase of four forklifts was awarded to Southwest Toyota Lift in the amount of $225,000. The authority uses forklifts for various convention center operations, and some of the older models need to be replaced.
- A $3.5 million contract for maintenance and repair of elevators and escalators for the Las Vegas Monorail and Vegas Loop was awarded to KONE for the period through Jan. 30, 2030.
- Joel Van Over of Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting presented a recap of Las Vegas air service for 2024. Reid International Airport set records with 35.4 million seat capacity, 46 million origin-destination passengers, and 170 nonstop routes. He counts five “signature wins” for international flights to Las Vegas: Aer Lingus (Dublin); Virgin Atlantic (Manchester); Norse Atlantic (London); Korean Air Lines; and KLM. He reports a 10.4 percent increase in international passengers, which is probably on the low side since many international visitors fly to Las Vegas from other domestic markets. He predicts a 1.9 percent increase in Las Vegas passenger seats for the first half of this year.
