The Athletic (AP)
The Oakland Athletics entered into an agreement with Bally’s Casino and Gaming & Leisure Properties to build a potential stadium on the grounds of the Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
Bally Corp announced Monday that the stadium will be able to seat 30,000 spectators on a 35-acre parcel. The project would cost $1.5 billion, and the A’s need about $400 million in public money, which must be approved by the Nevada Stadium Legislature, which could vote on the proposal this week.
The A’s had signed an agreement to build the stadium on Tropicana Avenue, but on the other side of Interstate 15 which runs through the Strip. The intent was to ask the legislature for half a billion in public money for a 49-acre parcel that would include much more than a stadium.
The new deal is more modest in terms of infrastructure, but the site will be closer in walking distance to the hotels at the southern end of the Strip.
“We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic venue,” A’s President Dave Kaval said in a statement. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Bally and GLPI, and look forward to completing plans to bring A to Southern Nevada.”
Kaval had previously indicated that they wanted to start work on the new stadium next year and have it ready for the 2027 season.
The A’s have a lease agreement with Oakland Coliseum that expires after the 2024 season. They could play the 2025 and 2025 seasons at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Aviators, their Triple-A branch.
The Tropicana opened in 1957 and attracted the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. in its heyday. Las Vegas landmarks that have disappeared.
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The A’s had been looking for a new home for several years to replace the dilapidated Oakland Coliseum, where the team had settled after moving from Kansas City prior to the 1968 season. They average a crowd of 9,500 at their home games this season, by far the poorest of the 30 teams for this.
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Associated Press/Report for America writer Gabe Stern contributed to this report.
