Tropicana Las Vegas Set to Shut Down on April 2 to Pave Way for New Baseball Stadium

Tropicana Las Vegas to close for a new $1.5B A's ballpark. Bally's plans a resort-ballpark complex and a new hotel-casino on the site.

 

The Tropicana Las Vegas is set to shut down its operations on April 2, with plans to demolish the hotel to construct a 30,000-seat Major League Baseball stadium for the Athletics (A's), who are relocating from Oakland, Calif.

A new complex combining a resort and ballpark is planned for the southeast corner of Tropicana Avenue and the Las Vegas Strip. The A's have yet to unveil new designs for the ballpark or specify their financing plans for the $1.5 billion project.

The team has expressed hope that the stadium will open in time for the 2028 season. Last year, the Nevada Legislature allocated $380 million to assist in the construction of the ballpark.

In 2021, Bally's Corp. purchased the Tropicana from Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. for $308 million, leasing the land beneath the hotel as part of the deal. A subsequent agreement among Bally's, Gaming and Leisure Properties, and the Oakland A's last year designated approximately nine acres of the 35-acre site for the stadium, with plans to develop a new Bally's hotel-casino on the remaining land.

George Papanier, president of Bally's, shared his enthusiasm: "This is an exciting next chapter for Bally’s, and we are honored to be a key partner with the Athletics on bringing a Major League ballpark to the great city of Las Vegas. 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. We thank our stakeholders, partners, the city of Las Vegas, Clark County, and the state of Nevada for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Since its grand opening on April 4, 1957, with a construction cost of $15 million, making it the most expensive resort in Las Vegas at the time, the Tropicana has been a landmark. Ben Jaffe, a co-owner of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and an inspiration for the Fontainebleau Las Vegas that opened in December, originally conceived the resort.

Bally's will start to cancel all bookings after April 2 and offer alternative arrangements for guests with reservations beyond this date. For more information on existing and future bookings, players club rewards, and gaming activities, guests are encouraged to visit the hotel-casino's official website.