{"id":25898,"date":"2020-01-22T09:45:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T17:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=25898"},"modified":"2020-01-22T09:45:28","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T17:45:28","slug":"raiders-need-elbow-room-casino-mega-scandal-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/raiders-need-elbow-room-casino-mega-scandal-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Raiders need elbow room; Casino mega-scandal in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong> haven’t officially set up shop in Sin City already they’ve got a problem: parking. The team has had to pony up an additional $50 million to buy land on which fans can park, tailgate, etc. And that still isn’t enough<\/a>, according to the Las Vegas Sun<\/em>.\u00a0\u201cFor patrons \"\"coming to a game, we need about 9,500 spots,\u201d said Raiders President Marc Badain<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cFor staff and support staff workers, we need about 2,500 spots. We\u2019ve identified as many as 30,000 spots in the immediate vicinity, most of which are within walking distance. We have in our control 15,000 spots already.\u201d That leaves them only … oh, 15,000 spots short. The team is currently dickering with landowners in the vicinity of Allegiant Stadium<\/strong>, hoping to buy or lease more blacktop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still a few thousand spots west of the stadium that are up for grabs.\u00a0There\u2019s a lot of interest and desire there, so there\u2019s the ability to capture a lot of those spots,” said Badain. And given the laws of supply and demand, the Malosos<\/em> are almost certain to paying through their noses for that real \"\"estate. “Supply will significantly exceed demand for parking.\u201d That’s a mighty big promise. Raider Nation may have to resign itself to leaving its cars several miles from the stadium, as in the case of a tailgating area at Warm Springs<\/strong>\u00a0and I-15<\/strong>. It’s so far from Allegiant Stadium that shuttle service will be required to get fans to the game. The Raiders are also casting a covetous eye at casino parking garages along the Strip.<\/p>\n

According to the Sun<\/em>, “the Raiders are not yet counting on those being available on game days.” There’s an understatement. The casinos need those garages for their own purposes\u2014and now I think we know why parking fees were imposed by MGM Resorts International<\/strong> and Caesars Entertainment<\/strong>. It’s a win-win for them: Either collect money from parking-desperate Raiders fans or get it from people who actually want to stay at the resorts. With Raiders-owned parking spots going for $100-$200, Las Vegas<\/strong>-based fans will soon be doing the math on whether it pays to leave their vehicle at a casino or not.<\/p>\n

* Although we tend to take a benign view of Canada<\/strong>, it’s the Wild Wild West of casino regulation. Even Nevada<\/strong>‘s often-toothless “gold standard” is tougher than what passes for oversight in British Columbia<\/strong>. That’s the inescapable conclusion from an internal investigation by the Canadian Mounties, obtained by Global News.<\/em> The allegations are lengthy and deserve to be read in full<\/a>. Some of the lowlights include:<\/p>\n