NHL proponents expand sales push to corporations, casinos

Prospective NHL team owner Bill Foley is now selling season ticket deposits to corporations and casinos for the first time after accepting payments for season ticket deals from individuals.

“The NHL has no objection” to his group accepting deposits from large companies such as hotel-casinos, said Foley, who is trying to start a National Hockey League team in Las Vegas that would play at the arena being built on the Strip.

Foley’s season ticket campaign reached 9,000 on March 15. And based on the steady rate of fans paying the minimum $150 for a season ticket commitment, it appears as if Foley would have hit his 10,000 goal by now. But Foley declined to comment on reaching the 10,000 milestone, saying that there will be an announcement in the next few weeks.

Foley, and his partners, the Maloofs brothers of Las Vegas, want to sell at least 10,000 season ticket deposits to show NHL officials and team owners that Las Vegas is a viable market for big-league hockey.

The highest number of tickets that one person could buy was 24. But 98 percent of the season ticket deposits were paid by individuals who plunked down money for eight seats or less, Foley said. Fans could pay $150-$900 for a season ticket deposit, based on the seat location. It’s a 10 percent down payment.

The NHL Board of Governors will meet in Las Vegas in June.