The Tropicana Las Vegas is set to become part of a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland A’s. The construction of the 33,000-seat stadium will take place across 35 acres of Tropicana land, though construction is not set to begin until April 2025.
It is uncertain if, or when, the Tropicana Las Vegas will be reinstated following the closure and beginning of the stadium's construction. This has caused a number of staff, undisclosed by Bally’s, to leave the company.
In a quote to investors, Bally’s Director Soo Kim said, “(Our cash flow) has declined as bookings are harder to manage because we don’t know when it’s going to close and also, frankly, our employees are starting to leave as there are new properties in the area and they don’t know when we’re going to redevelop.”
The choice for staff to leave due to the uncertainty of their positions is understandable, as it seems unclear when the Tropicana will shut its doors or if staff will be guaranteed employment if the Tropicana relocates and re-opens.
Moreover, for those working in the hotel & casino industry in Las Vegas, there are a multitude of businesses available that may have the potential to hire staff leaving the Tropicana, with areas such as the Strip providing hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Regarding the A’s move and loss of staff, Bally’s President George Papanier said, “We are highly anticipating next steps in terms of our Oakland A’s relocation plans to our Las Vegas Tropicana site … we have the A’s investing $1.5bn, including $380m of public funds in this land, which although we have some short-term pain, this is an extremely valuable asset.”
The construction of the stadium is also opposed by Schools Over Stadiums, a political action committee. After the funding bill passed in June, a referendum petition was filed In September with the aim of repealing the state tax funding, instead subjecting it to a public vote. Schools Over Stadiums was then sued by "representatives tied to the A's."
