Las Vegas Businesses Demand F1 Compensation: “We Got Fooled”
Las Vegas Businesses Demand F1 Compensation: “We Got Fooled”
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix delighted fans with a thrilling race win by reigning champion Max Verstappen. But the local business owners were left unhappy with the expenditure of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and are now demanding compensation.
In 2023, the pinnacle of Motorsport racing will return to Las Vegas after a 40-year hiatus. The race proved to be a big success on the racing front, and the fans were also treated to a thrilling race delivered by Dutch sensation Max Verstappen.
But business owners say they were negatively affected by the event, saying they were “bamboozled” by organizers who did not provide enough warning of the level of disruption, negatively affecting their businesses. Several business owners have joined forces to lodge a complaint with the Clark County Government, demanding compensation.
The race led to widespread road closures and restricted the flow of tourists on the Las Vegas strip, hurting business owners pockets.
Randy Markin, an owner of Battista’s restaurant and general manager of Stage Door Casino, told LVSportsBiz.com today, “We as a community got bamboozled; we got fooled. This has never happened before. It just steamrolled out of control. This is the first time Las Vegas has been fooled by an outside entity like F1. F1 did not know how to get involved with the community.”
Jay’s Market owner Wade Bohn said, “We want to be compensated for the losses that occurred due to everything F1, the county, and the LVCVA did.”
Both Markin and Bohn reported that not only did they incur losses in the range of $4 million, but they also lost regular customers.
The business owners are now asking for compensation as they believe that the return of the F1 in Las Vegas will affect them the same way and will put them out of the business.