The Vote Is In.. The Raiders Are Heading To Las Vegas!

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who was first to report the vote, NFL owners just voted 31-1 on Monday to approve the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas from Oakland, California. The team needed 24 out of the 32 votes to win the approval.

Oakland was home for 45 of the Raider’s past 58 seasons in the AFL and the NFL, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed regret in not finding a solution that kept the team in Oakland.

“We needed to provided certainty and stability for the Raiders, as well as the league,” Goodell told reporters in a news conference.

In a statement, Raiders owner Mark Davis said, “The Raiders were born in Oakland and Oakland will always be part of our DNA. We know that some fans will be disappointed and even angry, but we hope that they do not direct that frustration to the players, coaches and staff. We plan to play at the Coliseum in 2017 and 2018, and hope to stay there as the Oakland Raiders until the new stadium opens. We would love nothing more than to bring a championship back to the Bay Area.”

The Raiders will still be called the “Oakland Raiders” until they move to Las Vegas, Goodell said.

The team is waiting for a new stadium to be built in Vegas that they have committed $500 million toward the project. Another $750 million is coming in the form of a hotel tax passed by the Nevada Legislature in October as well as help from Bank of America.

“My father always said, ‘the greatness of the Raiders is in its future,’ and the opportunity to build a world-class stadium in the entertainment capital of the world is a significant step toward achieving that greatness,” Davis said in a statement.

“I would like to thank Commissioner [Roger] Goodell, the National Football League and my 31 partners. I would also like to thank Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Legislature for their commitment. Finally, I would like to thank Sheldon Adelson for his vision and leadership, without which this project never would have become a reality.”