Featured image credit: Jeff Hitchcock/CC BY 2.0/Edited for size
Plans to deliver a $1.5bn (£1.18bn/€1.38bn) ballpark for the Oakland Athletics in Las Vegas have taken a major step forward with the announcement that Tropicana Las Vegas will close on April 2, ahead of demolition of the iconic casino-resort.
With a price tag of $15m, the Tropicana was the most expensive casino in Las Vegas when it opened its doors on April 3, 1957. It has remained an iconic part of the Strip but is due to be pulled down to make way for the stadium that will house the relocating Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise.
Bally’s Corporation, the gaming, betting, and entertainment company which owns the Tropicana, announced yesterday (Tuesday) that operations will cease at the venue on April 2, with all bookings relocated, as it makes way for the proposed 33,000-seat ballpark.
Bally’s has said the demolition process is expected to take between nine months and a year. “Bally’s looks forward to the development of a new resort and ballpark that will be built in its place and will become a new landmark, paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas and its nearly 50 million visitors a year,” the company stated.
Bally’s president, George Papanier, described the closure of the Tropicana and the addition of the A’s stadium and future resort as “the next chapter” for the company. “This is an incredible accomplishment for us as we continue to expand our global footprint and strengthen our sports portfolio, which already includes our digital sportsbook, Bally Bet, and numerous marketing partnerships with professional teams, and leagues,” Papanier added, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“We thank our stakeholders, partners, the city of Las Vegas, Clark County, and the state of Nevada for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
In May, the A’s reached a binding agreement with Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. (GLPI) to build a new ballpark on the Tropicana site. Bally’s, together with GLPI, will assign approximately nine acres of the 35-acre site on Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue to the A’s or a related stadium authority.
Bally’s acquired the building and operations of Tropicana Las Vegas from GLPI in September 2022 as part of a $148m deal. As part of the agreement, Bally’s entered into a 50-year ground lease with GLPI, with the ability to extend to 99 years upon achieving key investment milestones.
A’s owner, John Fisher, said last week that renderings depicting the new ballpark and resort are still being finalised. Earlier this month, it was reported that the A’s are considering several options for a temporary home as it prepares for its move to the new Vegas stadium.
In November, the A’s received the green light from MLB to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas. The team will play the 2024 season at its current home, the Oakland Coliseum, but it remains to be seen where the A’s will spend the following seasons ahead of the planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.
In October, construction manager Mortenson-McCarthy revealed the tentative timeline for the A’s ballpark, with work potentially commencing in April 2025. It is hoped the stadium will be completed in January 2028.
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