Oakland Athletics’ New Vegas Stadium Expected To Be On Tropicana Casino Lot
Tropicana Casino
Highlights
- The build deal comes with $395 million in public funding
- The plan still needs to be approved by Clark County, Nevada, and MLB
- The Athletics are one of many teams that have or are expected to come to Vegas in a narrow window
Oakland Athletics’ New Vegas Stadium Expected To Be On Tropicana Casino Lot
Bally’s informed its employees at the Tropicana Las Vegas casino Monday that it expects to close in 18-24 months, should a deal to build the new Las Vegas Athletics’ stadium go through.
The deal is for $395 million and will coincide with the relocation of Oakland’s dismal baseball team to the city of glitz and glamor, and one that has been the recipient of several relocation and expansion teams in professional sports.
The site for the new stadium is right on the Tropicana plot on the Vegas Strip, hence the impending demolition. Bally’s will build a new 1,500-room casino elsewhere in Vegas once this one is torn down.
Likely, but not guaranteed
The Athletics and Bally’s announced a deal that charges the latter with constructing a 35,000-seat arena with a retractable roof. It will be spread across the casino’s 35 acres of land, leased by Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc., which will also contribute an extra $175 million in exchange for a corresponding increase in rent.
Tropicana employees were concerned about the future of their careers given the imminent closure. The company posted its response online in an FAQ section, stating “[Tropicana] will be given preference on employment opportunities and Bally’s will maintain employee seniority.”
Bally’s also reiterated that while the deal has been agreed to in principle, it has not been finalized and could still fall through.
As proof, the A’s were actually going to be working with Red Rock Resorts to build a stadium on top of the old Wild Wild West Gambling Hall and Hotel site, a 49-acre lot that was demolished last year. The two parties reportedly signed a binding agreement, but it failed to materialize.
An area that is holding up full approval for the deal is permission from Clark County, Nevada, and MLB itself. If any of those three reject the idea, it would need to come up with a workaround or risk a delayed move.
The $395 million is coming in the form of public funding, which must also be agreed upon for the deal to be finalized. The expectation is that there will be a decision by June 5, the final day of Nevada’s legislative session.
James is a sports writer from Melbourne, and has contributed to a variety of publications covering a range of sports including basketball, cricket, Australian Rules, golf and surfing to name a few. An avid fan of all of the above and more, James’ downtime is spent falling ungracefully off his surfboard, turning over footies and playing an out of tune guitar.
