Tropicana’s Down, Now the Hard Part: Funding the A’s $1.5B Vegas Ballpark

The Tropicana Las Vegas resort is no more, elevating the focus and pressure on the A’s to complete their vision for a new, $1.5 billion ballpark along the famed Las Vegas Strip.

The 67-year-old hotel—an icon of the city’s prior, Rat Pack era—was imploded in the early-morning hours of Wednesday, bringing a dramatic finale to site demolition efforts that began in July. In classic Las Vegas style, the 22-second implosion included a fireworks display and a show with 555 drones to add a heavy layer of spectacle to the proceedings. 

The site will now be cleared with an eye toward beginning formal construction on the ballpark by the second quarter of 2025. Before that happens, though, the A’s must still finish several agreements with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, and key elements such as finalizing the ballpark design are still incomplete.

Where’s the Money?

Most pressing, though, is the need for A’s owner John Fisher to finalize the private financing for the ballpark. The A’s will tap into $380 million of previously approved taxpayer funding, but say they plan to leave about $30 million of that in reserve to help with finishing the project. Beyond that, though, about $1.15 billion in debt and equity financing is still required, an effort that could involve bringing in additional team investors.

Specific details on that private financing are expected in the coming weeks, including during a scheduled Oct. 17 stadium authority meeting. Officials for that public body recently reviewed Fisher’s finances, at least to some degree, and came away confident that the money to fund the project is there. Accessing the taxpayer funds for the stadium will require finalizing the private financing. 

“It is clear that the Fishers have the ability to provide the financing for the stadium, period,” said Steve Hill, stadium authority president and CEO. “They just have it, and it is there.”

Fisher, for his part, called the hotel implosion “an important milestone” in the process of moving the A’s to Las Vegas.

The overall demolition effort will leave a 9-acre site for the A’s ballpark that will be among the smallest footprints of any MLB facility. Should the stadium ultimately not be built there—as is the hope of some, such as Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman—the site will easily be among the most coveted in town, potentially for another casino.

In the meantime, the A’s are also planning to spend three interim years in Sacramento, a period that could include a player payroll increase for MLB’s lowest-spending team.