Oakland A's Now Looking to Build Stadium On Strip Near World Series of Poker
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The saga of a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium coming to Las Vegas took yet another turn as reports emerged this week that the Oakland A's are now considering building a stadium at the current Tropicana site, just a few blocks away from where the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is played annually.
Earlier this year, multiple news outlets reported that the Oakland A's were considering building the stadium at various Las Vegas locations, including the Tropicana site on the south end of the Strip and the Las Vegas Festival grounds on the north end of the Strip. They were also considering building it at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino — which hosted the WSOP for 17 years — giving credibility to longstanding rumors spearheaded by Las Vegas blogger Scott Roeben, who runs Vital Vegas.
More recently, the team entered a binding agreement to build the stadium on Red Rock Resorts property, according to The Nevada Independent.
Now, the newspaper reports that the A's have pivoted from that agreement and plan to build the stadium at the Tropicana site. Bally’s Corp plans to demolish the casino to make way for the $1.5 billion stadium, which would hold 35,000 seats and be equipped with a retractable roof.
New Site May Save the Team Millions
If the stadium is built at the Tropicana site, it will mark the end of an iconic Las Vegas casino that first opened its doors in 1957, though a new 1,500-room hotel would be built as part of the deal.
There is a clear financial upside to building the stadium at this location. According to The Nevada Independent, the move would reduce the amount of public funding sought for the project from $500 million to $395 million.
An official proposal has yet to be put together and would need approval from the Nevada Legislature. The legislative session is currently underway and is set to adjourn on June 5.
Will It Impact the WSOP?
Notably, the Tropicana site that may host a new MLB stadium is just a ten-minute drive from Horseshoe Las Vegas, which in 2022 became the new home of the World Series of Poker.
One of the biggest concerns about the WSOP's move was that it would increase congestion as tens of thousands of poker players made their way onto the already busy Strip. Those concerns ended up being largely unfounded and the majority of players found themselves satisfied with the transition.
Similarly, some on social media voiced worry that putting a new sports stadium on the Strip would increase congestion.
"Imagine the congestion nightmare at this location if there were two or more major events happening on the same night (Golden Knights, Vegas A’s, Boxing/UFC, Raiders, and concerts, etc)," said Twitter user Matt Barnett.
@howardstutz @TheNVIndy Shouldn’t allow stadium to be built on The Strip. What a mess that will be for traffic
— kacymur (@kacymur)
Whatever the case, it will be several years before a new stadium reaches Las Vegas, so the 2023 WSOP will not be impacted. According to The Nevada Independent, construction on the project would begin in 2024 and the stadium would open in 2027 or 2028.
