Las Vegas Mogul Displeased With Raiders, May Walk From Stadium Deal
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson reportedly said he could walk away from a deal with the Oakland Raiders to build a new stadium in Las Vegas.
According to Reuters, the owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation said at a conference in Israel on Wednesday that problems have emerged during negotiations with the team.
"They want so much," Adelson said. "So I told my people, 'Tell them I could live with the deal, I could live without the deal. Here's the way it's gonna go down. If they don't want it, bye-bye.'"
Representatives of Adelson, the Raiders and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Adelson's comments come less than two weeks after the Nevada officials approved raising $750 million in hotel taxes to build the $1.9 billion stadium in Las Vegas.
The tycoon has pledged $650 million toward the stadium, with the NFL and Raiders contributing the rest.
While team owner Mark Davis announced he would file for relocation to Las Vegas early next year, any move would have to be approved by three-quarters of NFL team owners.