UPDATE: Bill Foley sat down with 13 Action News Thursday and said his number one priority is getting a ticket system in place so fans can buy their season tickets.
The NHL's newest owner says his staff is reviewing three proposals, he says a key element is the ability for fans to see what their view of the ice will be before purchasing tickets.
He also says he has hired a consultant to work on a potential team name and logo.
"My goal is by October first to have our logo and our name and at that announcement party you can buy a jersey and a hat," Foley said.
He is also working to hire scouts to prepare for the expansion and amateur draft next year.
When it comes to fielding his inaugural team, Foley said he wants to be competitive as quickly as possible.
"We are going to be judicious. We are going to be careful and so we don;t want to blow everything and get something done in two years or three years and then have nothing for seven years That is no good," Foley said.
"So we want a slow building process, but we want to win. We want to be competitive. We want our games in February and March to count. Not just go out there and play games and be a doormat."
LATEST: The National Hockey league will bring a team to Las Vegas in the 2017-18 season. The vote from NHL officials was unanimous. The team will play their home games at T-Mobile Arena. This marks Las Vegas' first professional sports franchise.
LIVE STREAM: The NHL is holding a press conference on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Watch LIVE below.
ORIGINAL STORY:
We should know Wednesday if the National Hockey League is expanding and giving Las Vegas a new hockey franchise.
It's a huge turn of events when you consider a major league sports team in Las Vegas was unthinkable only a few years ago.
Experts and long-time locals seem to think there are two predominant reasons why Las Vegas has become fertile ground for pro sports teams -- rapid population growth and a wholesale shift in national attitudes toward sports gambling.
There have been sports franchises here before, but this is different.
"That was minor league, this is the big time," said TC Martin, a long-time sports talk radio host.
He hears from locals every day and he says, locals want this without a doubt.
"They've had this carrot dangled in front of them for a long, long time like, 'Hey, this could happen someday,' and now it's actually coming to fruition," Martin said.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman thinks Las Vegas is ready too.
"We are mature enough and with 2.1 million [people] and this fabulous airport, we can certainly handle major league sports," she said.
For years, the gambling issue was a hangup.
There were questions about the legality and upholding the integrity of the games.
Jay Kornegay, the vice president of race and sports operations at the Westgate Superbook, has a simple solution.
"Let's go ahead and regulate it," he said.
Kornegay has seen the popularity of betting on sports skyrocket in recent years.
It's so much more out in the open, especially in media coverage, he said.
"They show the spreads pretty much on a daily basis and that somewhat has lightened the dark cloud that's hovered over the sports gambling world," Kornegay said.
It would be illegal for a player or anyone associated with a prospective NHL team to place a bet on the team. The sportsbook would be obligated to notify the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
