One of the oldest gambling venues in Las Vegas, the Tropicana Las Vegas casino, will close permanently on April 2, 2024, to make way for Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics to move into a to-be-constructed stadium adjacent to the Vegas Strip.
The fate of the Trop had been known for some time after MLB team owners approved the franchise's move from Oakland to Las Vegas last November. The exact date of the casino's closure remained unknown, however, until Tropicana management notified staff this week of the official closing date.
The Tropicana opened in 1959, beginning what will conclude as an iconic 65-year run near what is now the heart of the Vegas Strip. In recent years the casino-resort has operated its hotel business under the Double Tree brand, with gaming operated by Bally's.
Boutique stadium wrapped by casino still under design
The final shape of the new stadium remains under developments, though it will be distinctive. The stadium is scheduled to be the smallest MLB venue in terms of seating that has existed for several decades, with just 30,000 seats available to fans.
The stadium, as one might expect in Vegas, will be wrapped by a brand new casino that appears unlikely to carry the historic Tropicana name. The stadium and adjoining casino will be combined onto the 34-acre parcel where the current Tropicana casino and hotel now stands.
Demolition of the existing Tropicana structure will begin later in 2024 and take between nine and 12 months. New construction will begin at some point in 2025 and take two to three years, with the stadium to open in time for MLB's 2028 season.
Plans for poker at the new casino, whenever it opens, are unclear. The Trop had been poker-free for years until Maverick Gaming head Eric Persson announced plans for a new room there, along with a special set for a streamed cash game called Big Bet Poker LIVE. The plans for the new room never materialized, though the Big Bet game has run and will apparently continue inside the Tropicana until the casino itself closes its doors.
