Las Vegas — The Oakland Athletics have cleared the major hurdles that will enable them to relocate to Las Vegas in time for the 2028 MLB season.
The Nevada State Legislature on Wednesday evening approved SB1, a bill that allows for up to $350 million in public funding for a new A’s stadium in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. The bill passed by a 25-15 vote after several amendments were added. It then went back to the State Senate for concurrence, which happened within a minute.
On day later, and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardi (R) signed the legislation for stadium funding into law.
“I am excited to officially sign SB1 this afternoon. This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada, and this legislation reflects months of negotiations between the team, the state, the county, and the league. Las Vegas position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) on Oakland Athletics relocation
This all but guarantees that the A’s will indeed be relocating to Southern Nevada within the next half-decade. They also released a statement after Lombardi signed the legislation into law.
“Today is a significant step toward securing a new home for the Athletics. We thank Nevada Governor Lombardo, the Legislative leaders, and Clark County Commissioners and staff for their hard work, support, and partnership. We will now begin the process with MLB to apply for relocation to Las Vegas.”
Oakland Athletics statement
While support for public funding of the $1.5 billion proposed venue on the current site of Tropicana has not been there in Nevada, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the bill. It had support from several key cogs in Nevada, including the Culinary Workers Union and major casino heads.
This vote came one day after Oakland Athletics fans held a reverse protest during Tuesday night’s home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. North of 26,000 fans attended the game to protest relocation and the presence of embattled owner John Fisher. It was seen as a smashing success locally.
Related: Oakland Athletics release Las Vegas stadium renderings
What’s next for the Oakland Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas?
- The A’s must get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) given that the venue is close to Harry Reid International Airport. That shouldn’t be an issue.
- The MLB Relocation Committee must also approve relocation to Las Vegas. Given MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has come out in support of the move, this also won’t be an issue.
“We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year,” Manfred said back in April.” He doubled down on these comments hours before Lombardo’s signature on Thursday.
Manfred had previously indicated that a June deadline for MLB approval was in the cards. That’s now looking more likely.
As part of the legislative action on A’s relocation, the timeline for an actual move has been pushed back from its original 2027 date to 2028. In the meantime, the A’s could very well find themselves playing at a temporary location given their current issues with officials in Northern California.
Northern Nevada, in particular Reno, is seen as an option. The same thing could be said for the site of the A’s Triple-A team in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin.
The A’s can get out of their lease with the Oakland Coliseum following the 2024 season. Though, there are also avenues to pursue that could lead to the MLB team leaving Oakland after this season.