LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — People who live in Las Vegas — whether that be for a month or many years — were excited to hear the biggest sporting event of the year, Super Bowl LVIII, would be played at Allegiant Stadium in 2024.
Football fan Samuel Santos said he'd be thrilled to be in the center of the football universe for a week.
"It's exciting because we get to see a lot of teams," he said. "People will come out. It will be cool."
His friend and non-football fan Taylor Semaganda took a different take on the benefits of hosting the Super Bowl.
"It's exciting because we're already a tourist city to begin with, so it's just more tourist money," he said.
Neither Las Vegas local believed that any of the projected $500 million expected to come to Las Vegas as a result of the game would trickle down to them.
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Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, however, said people across the valley would see the benefits — even if it's only indirectly.
"Where it impacts people is in the pocketbook," Naft said. "Revenue to the county, revenue to the cities and to the state. What that translates into is more money for schools, more money for roads, more money for our community."
Las Vegas has the shortest time to prepare for hosting the Super Bowl because New Orleans needed to pull out of their hosting responsibilities when the league extended their regular season leading to the Super Bowl, falling at the same time New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras.
Naft said the city known for hosting large-scale events can pull it off.
"We've got two years for the big day, but there's nowhere that does events like Las Vegas does," he said.
Naft said it would be a full-scale, city-wide effort to prepare for the Super Bowl for at least a year in advance of the big game.
He said preparations already underway for the NFL Pro-Bowl and draft would allow them to work out any kinks well in advance of the game in February of 2024.
