The Loop

NFL’s Raiders eyeing golf courses on which to build stadium in Las Vegas

July 28, 2016

Las Vegas, inasmuch as it’s principally a gambling town built by losers, would seem a good fit for the Oakland Raiders, who are threatening to move there. The Raiders haven’t had a winning season in 14 years.

But will they have to take down a golf course to do so?

Two of them are listed as potential stadium locations, including one, Bali Hai Golf Club, on its list of four primary sites under consideration, according to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee.

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Paul Joncich, a news anchor for KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, reported that Bali Hai GC is the site preferred by the Raiders.

Bali Hai is on the southern end of the strip in Las Vegas, between the airport and Interstate 15. Incidentally, it is part of Walters Golf, owned by renowned gambler Billy Walters, who recently was indicted on insider trading charges in the same case in which Phil Mickelson was identified as a “relief defendant.”

The other course, which appears on the secondary list of potential locations, is the Wynn Golf Club (Just Wynn, baby?), behind Wynn Las Vegas. It already had been earmarked to be replaced.

The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee was meeting on Thursday at UNLV to discuss the stadium proposals. Also on the agenda was a proposal to expand the size of the force of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Probably a good thing if the Raiders — and their, how shall we put it, occasionally unruly fans -- are coming to town.