Tropicana Casino In Las Vegas Sets Closing Date
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Gamblers hoping for some action at the Tropicana in Las Vegas only have a few months left to hit the craps tables or drop a few bucks in a slot machine. Bally’s announced this week that the property will officially close on April 4 as site preparation and construction on the new A’s baseball stadium is expected to begin in the coming months.
“While this is a great opportunity for the company, it comes with a bittersweet feeling as this means that operations at the Tropicana Las Vegas will shut down for redevelopment,” Tropicana Vice President and General Manager Arik Knowles said in a memo to employees.
Historic Property’s Run Comes To An End
The Tropicana opened in 1957 and at a cost of $15 million ($161 million today) was the most expensive property to open in Las Vegas at the time. The casino saw some additions over the years including the construction of two hotel towers in 1979 and 1986.
The casino tended to target midrange gamblers and the “Folies Bergere” showgirl review became a popular entertainment option. Other acts taking the stage at the casino included Louis Armstrong, Jayne Mansfield, Gladys Knight, Wayne Newton, Siegfried and Roy, and others.
On the card-playing front, the property had been the home of Bally’s Big Bet Poker over the last two years. The streaming cash game was hosted by Maverick Gaming CEO and high-stakes poker player Eric Persson. There has been no word yet if the live stream will return in a new space when the casino is rebuilt, or move to a new venue entirely.
Tropicana management is working with employees to offer resources and severance packages. The company is also assisting staff members who may be interested in jobs at other Bally’s casinos across the country.
“On behalf of our entire leadership team, we deeply appreciate all the effort and incredible work our team has put forth during our time here – dating all the way back to the property’s debut in 1957,” Knowles said in the memo to employees. “We know the past few months have not been easy, but we cannot begin to express how thankful we are to have such a stellar team to work with day in and day out.”
The A’s and Bally’s announced a 50-year lease deal in May for the team to build a $1.5 billion, 35,000-seat stadium on the site. The stadium will occupy nine acres, with the remaining 25-acre site available for the gaming company to build another hotel and casino.
The MLBapproved the move from Oakland to Las Vegas in November and the new stadium is expected to be finished by 2027 or 2028. That could change if a group known as Schools Over Stadiums gets their wish, pushing for a ballot referendum to vote on the fate of $380 million in public funds earmarked for the stadium project.
There’s also the issue of ongoing TV contract negotiations, as each market is a different size. The A’s are scheduled to leave Oakland next year but do not yet have a temporary stadium to play host to their home games while waiting for the Las Vegas stadium to be built.
