The Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team is reportedly considering the Rio Hotel & Casino site for a potential new stadium in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing a person with knowledge of the matter, reported that the team is “seriously considering” the site, which is located west of the Las Vegas Strip.
Rio would be the third Las Vegas site under consideration by the A’s, joining Tropicana and the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The A’s currently play in Oakland at the RingCentral Coliseum, but the team’s lease expires in 2024.
A spokesperson for New York-based real estate firm Dreamscape Companies, which owns Rio, told the Review-Journal: “The company has been engaged in a dialogue about the Rio as a potential MLB ballpark site for the past several years and it remains open to this idea.”
The team is exploring options to build a stadium in Las Vegas but is also pursuing plans to construct a new venue in Oakland as part of a $12bn (£10bn/€11.2bn) mixed-use project at the Howard Terminal site.
In December, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred increased the pressure on the A’s and the City of Oakland to seal an agreement for a new ballpark, stating 2023 would be a “crucial year” in determining the franchise’s future, while confirming it would not be hit with a relocation fee should it choose to move to Las Vegas.
In June, the A’s and city authorities hailed another key vote to progress the waterfront ballpark project in Oakland and potentially ward off the threat of the team relocating to Las Vegas.
The Howard Terminal project still faces multiple challenges, with the two sides having not determined how to pay for millions of dollars in associated infrastructure upgrades, and quarrelled on the level of affordable housing included and a non-relocation agreement for the A’s.
Earlier this month, the City of Oakland entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) for its 50% stake in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex, which includes the RingCentral Coliseum and Oakland Arena. The deal could lead to a reported $5bn revitalisation of the site.
AASEG’s proposal includes bringing a WNBA women’s basketball team to Oakland, along with other sports and entertainment projects, a hotel and new housing. The group has received strong support from the Oakland community, Oakland City Council, and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority (OACCA), the operating body of the Complex, with the proposal being presented at a press conference on February 2.
The A’s hold the remaining 50% stake in the Complex. A’s officials did not attend the presentation, with the team still deep in negotiations with the City on its new ballpark project at Howard Terminal.
