LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders regular-season home opener during Monday Night Football had a big turnout with more than 61,000 fans inside Allegiant Stadium.
Thousands of fans representing the silver and black turned out at sportsbooks on the Strip and at sports bars downtown.
Business owners in the valley say they have been benefiting from the Raider Nation takeover and got a taste of what Monday night football is all about.
Andrew Northam, Hennessey’s Tavern regional manager, said his location on Fremont Street was a hot spot to watch the Raiders game. He said they had nearly every seat filled with fans and saw a drastic increase in foot traffic compared to a typical Monday night.
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“From when we opened up, we saw lots of people coming in for the game, wearing their jerseys and then coming back after the game. So it has been a great impact for us,” said Northam.
On an average Monday, Northam said they make anywhere between $4,000 to $5,000 in sales. On Monday night they made more than$9,000. He said being in an NFL city will be critical for our local economy.
“With football taking over I think it is really going to take off, just like the Vegas Golden Knights did a couple of years ago when they came out,” Northam said. “I think it is just going to be an additive to what we have going on.”
Less than 100 feet away from Hennessey’s Tavern is Therapy. Maria Horta, Director of Operations and Marketing, said during the game her business was less busy than normal. They were only about 50% full and they did not have many sales while the Raiders were in action.
“It was a little bit less than normal Mondays,” said Horta. “This last Monday we sold about 25% to 30% less than prior Mondays.”
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Horta was shocked when this happened to her business, she predicted to nearly double her profit, but she said the businesses around her may be the ones to blame.
“I think the best place to watch the games is the casinos, people are betting, and they are excited about the first game, so I think that was the dominator for that,” Horta said.
It wasn’t till after the game Horta was able to make up for what was lost. She said from this Monday she was able to get a better feel for how to prepare for the next home game.
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