Las Vegas Ballpark Project May Impact Temporarily Tropicana’s Operations

An ambitious plan by the famous American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California, that competes in Major League Baseball (MLB), Oakland Athletics, in collaboration with Bally’s Corporation is expected to deliver a new stadium to Las Vegas. Bally’s confirmed details regarding such a plan earlier this week, revealing that the project is expected to be completed in collaboration with Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLP), a real estate investment trust company.

The project has a hefty price tag of some $1.5 billion and is expected to deliver a 30,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, at the 35-acre Tropicana site. GLP would play a key role in the development of the 9-acre site, given that the project gains further traction.

However, to proceed with the project, Oakland Athletics seeks to secure some $400 million in public funds from lawmakers in Nevada. Considering the scale of the project, the Tropicana’s operations may be temporarily impacted, a report released by the Las Vegas Review-Journal reveals.

Bally’s to Try to Keep the Property Open

Citing an FAQ from Bally’s, the recent report said that on Monday, the company admitted that if Oakland Athletics’ plan for lifts off and secures the necessary public funding, the Tropicana may be temporarily closed in 18 to 24 months. However, an updated FAQ released on Tuesday claimed that Bally’s will try to keep the Tropicana open “as long as practicable.” Still, addressing the possible uncertainty employees are facing, the company said that if the property closes temporarily, the workers will be able to explore opportunities within other Bally’s properties.

“The plans regarding the recently announced agreement with the Oakland Athletics are in very preliminary stages, and our focus at this time is on continuing to operate the Tropicana,“

wrote a spokesperson for Bally’s

A spokesperson for Bally’s spoke about the initial FAQ saying that it “was issued prematurely and was inaccurate.” The spokesperson confirmed that the agreement with the A’s is still in its early stage so the Tropicana will continue to operate as usual for the moment.

Addressing the updated FAQ statement, the spokesperson said that it “accurately conveys the current situation.” Finally, Bally’s spokesperson reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting its employees.

Early projections set an opening date for the new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip at some point in 2027. Still, the project is yet to lift off and needs to gain further traction before the construction works can begin.