LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For Raiders fans living in Las Vegas, March 27th 2017 was a pretty great day.
"When it came to the vote by the owners and that it was going to happen, I mean, I couldn't believe it. I was in shock," said John Vizcarra, Director of Operations for Stage Door Casino, a Raiders bar located just off the Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Road.
That's because, as lifelong fans, they had lived through team moves and a lot of rumored moves. To have the team move to Vegas?
"Pie dream. Straight up pie dream," said Eric Carrillo, who grew up watching the Raiders in Los Angeles and moved to Las Vegas in 2006.
That pie dream became a reality.
Tom Otter grew up in Oakland and had season tickets from 1974 to 1979. Otter has lived in Vegas for eight years and his three sons - two of whom are big Raiders fans - have moved here too.
"They all ended up moving here so life has kind of come full circle," said Otter.
Otter's fellow Raiders fan and friend Stage Door Casino moved to Vegas in December of 2016-- timing his other friends consider a little too coincidental.
"I would always get the phone call -- so you moved to Vegas because the Raiders are here. I go, no the Raiders followed me," he said.
Whether a stroke of luck or just plain coincidence, these fans are thrilled the Silver and Black now call the Silver State home. Not just for the convenience of not having to travel for home games, but for the simple fact they believe the team and the city are a game-winning combo.
"I just think when you have the city of entertainment mixed with the silver and black, you have something that has the potential to be so special and so unique....We're going to raise the bar so high. It will be hard to keep up with us. That's what we do here. That's what Vegas is about," said Vizcarra.
