The Las Vegas Thread

[Canard]

The NRL takes its biggest gamble yet

Documents obtained by AFR Weekend provide the clearest insight yet about what exactly the league is planning in its big push into the lucrative US market.

www.afr.com

Documents obtained by AFR Weekend provide the clearest insight yet about what exactly the NRL is planning. It will pay for more than 90 business-class flights with Fiji Airways, 32 economy flights, and six days of accommodation at Resorts World, a luxury Las Vegas hotel, for at least 128 players and club staff. An average business-class flight on Fiji Airways is almost $16,000, but the NRL costs are subsidised through advertising deals.

The rental of Allegiant Stadium, where matches will be played for the next five years, is estimated to cost about $1.2 million a year. That could take total annual costs, according to a number of rugby league sources familiar with estimates, to between $6 million and $8 million a year. Some sources believe this cost will blow out and NRL clubs will be asked to stump up cash (which they don’t believe they should have to do).

By Friday morning, the NRL had sold more than 17,000 tickets for the March 2 game at Allegiant Stadium. At least 5000 were to people in the US. But sources familiar with the game’s finances say that will net a little north of $1 million, far from enough to cover the costs alone.

Of course, promotion for the game will only ramp up. Next week, the NRL will announce a partnership with another major US sport

In the past week, U2 announced plans to hold a concert on the day of the NRL matches at Sphere, which the league was thinking of using as a hospitality venue.

Dustin Gouker, a US gambling consultant, says the timing of matches will work in its favour, but adds that the league will need to do a lot of work to build interest in the sport. “The beginning of March is a dead time in the calendar,” Gouker says. “It’s a really great time to promote your sport here in America. There should be a healthy level of scepticism. I don’t think I can overestimate how little people know about rugby.”

 

[Maximus]

That’s where the US comes into play. V’landys believes expanding there could generate as much as $200 million of gaming revenue alone for the NRL.

Over what period? 100 years?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Agreed filling the stadium is the real objective.

Ticket sales are somewhat irrelevant, the NRL should be giving a shitload of tickets away, have a pokie machine paying out tickets on the strip

I agree about Crowe and Jackman not being hugely relevant to the NRL but the selection of the teams seemed to be solely based around them.

The problem with free tickets (especially when shit loads of them are being thrown around) is that they hold no value and there is no guarantee that even half the free tickets going around would actually show up to the game. Selling them for even a modest amount means the fan is more invested in actually showing up

 

[titoelcolombiano]

What?


With all due respect to Scott Penn, he isn't going to provide much publicity for the game.

For Penn it's probably less about promotion and more about the networking opportunities his NRL team can now provide through this event

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Valheru]

“Next week, the NRL will announce a partnership with another major US sport”

nfl nba would be good

plus close to 30 percent of all tickets sold are to locals. Tickets sales to date just about cover stadium rental of 1.2 million

Will be interesting to see which one.

NFL will be out of season so seems unlikely.

NBA don't have a team in Vegas.

Might be NHL

 

[Chimp]

Will be interesting to see which one.

NFL will be out of season so seems unlikely.

NBA don't have a team in Vegas.

Might be NHL

I’d have thought any partnerships, whether it be sponsors, gaming businesses or other sports will be ones that are shown on or have links to Fox.

I’d probably guess at MLS.

 

[soc123_au]

The Yanks should be able to relate to Latrells impressive Gunt. That alone should make this venture a success.

 

[Harry O]

NRL launches Vegas blitz as stars feature on NFL coverage, ticket sales surge

NRL launches Vegas blitz as stars feature on NFL coverage, ticket sales surge

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Wb1234]

20k sold

really hope it’s the nfl they are linking with or the nba not those other minor sports

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Wb1234]

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Shohei Ohtani just signed a US$700million 10 year contract with the LA Dodgers (US$656,385 a game!).

That's the sort of money the US market has. Obviously we are striving to get a very very very small sliver of the pie. It would be crazy not to try.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Considering that game between Minnesota and Las Vegas was a fulltime score 3-0 borefest, I suspect that was the most interesting thing that happened during that game's coverage.

 

[yakstorm]

That's a solid promo at halftime for another sport. I honestly thought we'd get like a 20 second plug squeeze between everything else (or just some lower third piece).

 

[Perth Red]

That's a solid promo at halftime for another sport. I honestly thought we'd get like a 20 second plug squeeze between everything else (or just some lower third piece).

Missed the opportunity to focus on the physicality of the game I thought, that will be the hook for americans. I mean they spent most of it calling it rugby and talking about scrums lol

 

[Wb1234]

Missed the opportunity to focus on the physicality of the game I thought, that will be the hook for americans. I mean they spent most of it calling it rugby and talking about scrums lol

Who would’ve thought pvl having good links with news ltd would result In such favourable coverage for rugby league on foxsports America ?

 

[Wb1234]

TikTok - Make Your Day

 

[snickers007]

TikTok - Make Your Day

Imagine the Roosters sending a guy on a promo tour who hasn't played a game for them, and he rocks up wearing a 'From the Area' hoodie.

Then. Now. Forever. Penriff

 

[bad boy bubby]

Missed the opportunity to focus on the physicality of the game I thought, that will be the hook for americans. I mean they spent most of it calling it rugby and talking about scrums lol

Who missed the opportunity? The sideline reporter, Laura Okmin?
Woods talked of collision twice, Campbell talked of bashing, both of those terms are about physicality. In the 30secs they got to talk
The reporter talked of scrums for about 15 secs. The main two comperes, Mark Sanchez and Kevin Kugler, did basic promos for the game for over a minute.
Your comment slant towards negativity on something that was very positive for the NRL sure lays you up as a miserable bugger.
You say you're an NFL fan, well you should know how much that promo would have cost if it was a paid advert.