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Las Vegas is a city that’s fast-changing. At one point, it was all about gambling in the city. Nothing else mattered.
Then it was forced to become an entertainment hub. Forced because betting legalization became rampant in the US — first with tribal casinos then with sports betting apps.
Now it’s also becoming a sports mecca. Just twenty years ago, teams wanted to stay as far away from Sin City and its association with betting. Today? Teams are uprooting and moving there in a hurry (partially to capitalize off the Vegas sports betting sponsorships).
NHL started the wave in 2016, implanting the expansion Golden Knights there. Then the Raiders ditched Oakland in favor of a brand-new home in Vegas shortly after. Now, we have the Oakland A’s on the way too.
The hardest part for Vegas is finding homes for these teams. The state taxpayers forked over $750 million to get Allegiant Stadium — the Raiders’ home and also host to world-class concerts — built in the south of the Strip. T-Mobile Arena, the sight of Knights games, is also new-ish. Now the A’s need a place to play at.
Vegas found it, but to do so, sacrifices had to be made. Let’s take you into the new build process of the baseball stadium, and with it, the death of an iconic Vegas casino.
Tropicana Will Go Up In Smoke On October 9
A’s aren’t just getting a new stadium, but they’re getting a stadium at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip — the part of the city that attracts millions of tourists a month. This is a high-visibility area and one that was previously taken by Tropicana Las Vegas.
The Tropicana closed its doors back in April. Since then, it’s been sitting vacant in anticipation of this new build. Welp, demolition day for the Tropicana has been set — October 9. The implosion is scheduled to occur at about 2:30 am on October 9. The late midnight destruction is deliberate. Besides some drunk night owls, there are less crowds on the Strip around that time in case the explosion goes wrong (low probability but something that has to be accounted for).
Anyway, Tropicana — at one time a jewel of the city — isn’t going down without some Vegas fun. The casino’s owner, Bally’s Corp, announced a celebration the night of October 8. There will be a drone and fireworks show to send off the historic building. And historic might be an understatement.
Tropicana is iconic. It opened in 1957 — a time when Vegas wasn’t the Vegas we know it as today. But it was luxury casino-hotels like Tropicana that began creating the glitzy and glamour image of the city. Like many Vegas establishments of the time, it was funded by mobster money.
From there, it become one of the “Rat Pack” favorite spots. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin frequented Tropicana, bringing the crowds with them. It remained one of Vegas’ top-end properties for decades before a ‘90s boom in development left Tropicana in the past.
Once Tropicana gets blown out, construction on the unamed baseball stadium will start quickly. The construction of the $1.5 billion ballpark is expected to take about three years. That means the the A’s won’t begin to play in Las Vegas until the 2028 MLB season.
The capacity will be 33,000 — which is small by MLB standards. But the way we see it, that’ll just make for a more intimate live viewing experience. Every seat will have good views, not only of the game, but the Strip too. It will be an open stadium and the city’s skyline will be in plain view to see.
Funny enough, the A’s will play three seasons in Sacramento while they wait for this project to complete. Their lease with the Oakland Coliseum ends at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will temporarily house them.
Another Vegas Demo Planned Soon
Tropicana isn’t the only historic Vegas casino to go down this year. The other was The Mirage Las Vegas. It closed its doors on July 17 to make room for a new-and-improved Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. However, this building is being renovated — not torn down. It’ll be a three-year remodeling process but remnants of the Mirage will stay alive somewhat.
But what’s not sticking around is the Mirage’s iconic volcano outside. This volcano used to erupt multiple times a day, dazzling tourists walking by — all for free too! But it’s in the process of being torn down. Not like one giant implosion, but construction workers are chipping away at it as you read this. It won’t be long before this former marvel is also in the dirt for good.
To wrap up here, change is good. However, it can sting if you’re familiar with how things used to be. With the way Vegas is evolving into this entertainment and sports capital of the world, there might be more stinging sensations in store for locals and lovers of the city. We anticipate more iconic casinos to close down in the coming years — question is, who’s next?
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