(Las Vegas) The Oakland Athletics have reached an agreement with Bally’s and the Gaming & Leisure Properties trust to build a potential stadium on the site of the Tropicana Hotel, along the Las Vegas “Strip”.
Bally’s Corporation announced on Monday that it would build a 30,000-seater stadium on the 35-acre site. The project is expected to cost around $1.5 billion and the Athletics are asking for nearly $400 million in public support from the Nevada legislature, which could vote on a proposal this week.
The Athletics had previously signed an agreement to build a stadium also on Tropicana Avenue, but on the other side of Highway 15, which runs along the “Strip”. They were to petition the legislature for 500 million public funds for the 49-acre site which would have included much more than a stadium.
The new deal is a scaled-down proposition, but the location is closer on foot for fans staying at hotels on the south end of the “Strip.”
“We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location,” Athletics president Dave Kaval said in a statement. We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties, and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada. »
Kaval said he hopes to break ground next year and open the stadium in time for the 2027 season. 2026 at the Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of their AAA-level farm club.
“We are honored to have been selected to partner with the Oakland Athletics in their monumental step to help bring Major League Baseball to the great city of Las Vegas and to be part of a unique opportunity to have a professional team. of baseball a few steps from the “Strip”, underlined in a press release George Papanier, the president of Bally’s. The Tropicana has been a Las Vegas landmark for generations and this development will enhance this iconic site for generations to come. »
The Athletics had been looking for a new home for years to replace the Oakland Coliseum, where the team had played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team averaged fewer than 9,500 home fans this season, by far the lowest total among Major League Baseball’s 30 teams.
The team was in negotiations with the city of Oakland to build a stadium on the shore, but focused entirely on Las Vegas last month. The Athletics’ exclusive negotiating rights agreement with the Port of Oakland for the Howard Terminal site expired last Friday, allowing the port to negotiate with other interested parties to use the site.