Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas,home of the NFL’s Raiders,has a capacity of 65,000.Credit:AP
Manly and South Sydney are expected to be among the participating teams,given they have Sea Eagles fan Hugh Jackman and Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe available to spruik the event.Jackman previously told this masthead,“They would love the great game of rugby league here”,and Manly chairman and co-owner Scott Penn said there were preliminary discussions for the Hollywood star to lend his support.
The NRL hopes to attract new fans and cash in on the explosion of legalised gambling in the US.
“The betting and gambling component definitely has a potential to provide a level of funding that will be helpful,” said Penn,who lives in America for much of the year.
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“This isn’t just about that,the opportunity is to continue to grow the game internationally and get more eyeballs on it.
“There are 350 million Americans who love sport,so I think that’s an opportunity.
“We don’t have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on participation,but if we can monetise the eyeballs on the game,then that would be interesting.”