The long-running saga of a potential move by Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas has another milestone. A bill introduced late Friday in the Nevada legislature would provide up to $380 million in public funding for a potential 30,000-seat, $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
The breakdown would see the money coming from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs. To pass, the bill needs a simple majority in the state Senate and Assembly.
The new ballpark would be build on the site where the Tropicana Las Vegas resort now sits. The existing structure would be demolished to accomodate the new ballpark. At 30,000 seats, it would be the smallest stadium in MLB.
Besides the bill’s passage, MLB owners still must approve the move from Oakland to Las Vegas. They meet June 13-15 in New York.
The public funding is by no means guaranteed. Democratic legislators have threatened to be a roadblock if Republican Governor Joe Lombardo nixes other spending proposals.