Taxpayers may foot Las Vegas Raiders Stadium’s building bill

Nevada taxpayers will have to ante up to make Sheldon Adelson’s dream of building a domed stadium in the desert come true.

On Tuesday, the Nevada Senate voted 16-5 to pass Senate Bill 1, which will raise hotel room taxes in Clark County—where Las Vegas is located, local media outlets have reported. The bill now moves to the Assembly.

The funds gained from the increased room tax—totaling $750 million—will be used to build a 65,000-seat domed stadium to lure the Oakland Raiders into the Nevada desert. The stadium is expected to cost $1.9 billion to complete, and the funds will go a long way towards helping Raiders owner Mark Davis, who has previously committed $500 million, and Sands Corp. chairman Sheldon Adelson, who also pledged $650 million to the project.

Under Adelson’s proposal, $750 million worth of municipal bonds will be sold, and the securities will be paid by a 0.9 percent tax—or about $1.08 per night—on hotel rooms.