NFR’s Vegas history is growing

Las Vegas has been home to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo since 1985. For 10 days every December, Sin City becomes Cowboy/Cowgirl Town.

Vegas is inextricably linked to the NFR. And thankfully so, as that was key to the PRCA and Las Vegas Events reaching a deal this year to extend the NFR contract through 2035.

“It’s not just about money or what we’re gonna guarantee. It’s about the history of the last 40 years in Las Vegas. There’s no other city that could be considered that has this specific hospitality infrastructure,” said Bill McBeath, chairman of the board for Las Vegas Events and a longtime member of the NFR committee.

McBeath led negotiations of the extension, which goes from 2026-2035, a feather in his cap as he ends his term as LVE chairman.

“This becomes a Western lifestyle city for those 10 days. The NFR and Las Vegas have a symbiotic relationship that created this incredible entertainment experience at the end of the year.”

This 2024 experience shifts into high gear tonight with the first go-round of the 10-night Wrangler NFR, at the Thomas &Mack Center. But really, it has been underway for days with other events around town, including Wednesday night’s annual Downtown Hoedown, the official kickoff to the week.

PRCA CEO Tom Glause couldn’t be happier about the extension. He echoed McBeath’s sentiments on getting the deal done.

“It’s the known quantity that Vegas has to offer,” Glause said. “Next year is our 40th anniversary in Las Vegas. It’s been a successful 40 years. We know we can rely on it being a successful event for the next 12 years.”

The current contract runs through the 2025 NFR. One key component that led to the new deal getting signed: Backdating it to the 2024 and 2025 NFRs, by adding $1.3 million to the purse each year. So this year’s total bumps from $15 million to $16.3 million, and it jumps to $17.6 million in 2025.

“On paper, it’s a 12-year deal. The final two years of the old contract are folded into a new contract,” Las Vegas Events President Tim Keener said. “We gave the PRCA an early signing bonus for contestants and stock contractors.”

And the bonuses keep coming after the 2025 NFR. From 2026-2035, $1 million per year will be added to the purse.

“The purse just compounds. It nearly doubles in 12 years,” Keener said. “This is a big increase, but the contestants and the stock contractors deserve it. Everybody benefits by having the NFR in Las Vegas. It’s a win-win.

“We’re tickled pink that the deal is done. Kudos to Bill McBeath and (board member) Michael Gaughan, and to Tom Glause for getting this deal done.”

Gaughan’s contributions can’t be overstated. The longtime Vegas casino magnate has played an integral role in the NFR’s success throughout its four-decade run in Las Vegas.

Keener rightly noted that, while the rodeo cowboys/cowgirls and stock contractors are key beneficiaries to the new deal, so too is the city of Las Vegas.

The economic pond ripple of the NFR is felt up and down the Strip, on Fremont Street, on Boulder Highway and on South Las Vegas Boulevard at the South Point, which becomes Cowboy Central every year. And it’s felt at the numerous shopping experiences, most notably the Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“There was a commitment to get this deal done and a commitment to the impact it will have,” Keener said. “It’s a Western lifestyle event. For the contestants, the contractors, the fans, the hotels — everyone wins. Even the cabbies know when it’s NFR time.”

Las Vegas Events, the PRCA and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority continue putting resources into making the Wrangler NFR so much more than the competition taking place inside the Thomas &Mack. Granted, the nightly go-rounds are the centerpiece. But the way tens of thousands of people can craft their own experience has been integral to the overall development of the NFR.

“We work year-round on this event. The NFR Experience is for everyone,” Keener said. “We roll out the red carpet at hotels around town. Fans are able to build their own experiences, from viewing parties at hotels, to entertainment and concerts, to night life, to shopping.

“That’s what makes the history here so important. The fans have a plethora of options to get their own NFR Experience.”

With all of the options available, fans can change how they take in the NFR on a night-to-night and year-to-year basis. And there’s always a new way to do so.

“We keep everything fresh with the fans, so that it doesn’t get tired coming to Vegas every year. It’s an NFR-modified version of that movie, ‘Groundhog Day.’ You can get up and do it again in a different way,” Keener said. “Fans are certain to seek out new experiences that they can’t find anywhere else. They can make their day be anything they want.”

Added Glause: “Vegas is like no other venue. The rodeo is the main attraction, but there are also all these other options. There’s so much to offer. It’s truly a Cowboy Town those first two weeks of December.”

Of course, you can’t overlook the contestants, who grind all year for a chance to compete here. The top 15 money winners in each of seven events compete each night at the Thomas &Mack. And the National Finals Breakaway Roping already took place Tuesday and Wednesday at South Point Arena.

“This year’s theme is: The Biggest Stage and the Brightest Lights,” Keener said. “Contestants are competing for life-changing money.”

Glause put a dollar figure on that life-changing money.

“Someone is probably gonna win at least $250,000 in each event. And over the course of the new contract, I personally think that’s gonna double. That’s just incredible,” Glause said. “What this means for fans is more excitement and more suspense.”

And if Las Vegas is about anything, it’s about more excitement and more suspense.