NHL sets up Las Vegas franchise

Jun 22, 2016 - 10:28 PM The NHL is making a big bet on Las Vegas.

The league will expand to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season after awarding its 31st franchise to billionaire businessman Bill Foley on Wednesday.

Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the decision after the league's board of governors unanimously voted to put an ice hockey team in the Mojave Desert's gambling mecca.

"We think this is a tremendously exciting opportunity, not just for Las Vegas, but for the league as well," Bettman said, calling Las Vegas "a vibrant, growing, global destination city."

Foley will pay $US500 million ($A666.36 million) to the NHL's other owners as an expansion fee. The new team will play in T-Mobile Arena, the $US375 million ($A499.77 million) building that opened just off the Las Vegas Strip in April.

The NHL is expanding for the first time since 2000, when Minnesota and Columbus each paid $US80 million ($A106.62 million) to join the league.

With a population of nearly 2.2 million, Las Vegas is the largest population center in the US without a team in the major professional sports.

"We want everyone to be a fan," Foley said.

"We're dedicated to it. We'll leave no stone unturned in our dedication, in our pursuit of hockey for Las Vegas, not only for our team, but for the community."

Sports leagues once rejected the city outright due to concerns about corruption from Vegas' massive sports betting economy, but the NHL and the NFL no longer share those worries, with Bettman calling his sport "less susceptible" to gambling interests due to the small volume of bets placed on hockey.

Source: AAP