Oakland A’s agree stadium site on Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The Oakland Athletics have reached an agreement with Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties to potentially build a stadium on the site of the Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Bally’s announced Monday that it will build a 30,000-seat stadium on the 35-acre site. The project is expected to cost about $1.5 billion, and the A’s have asked the Nevada legislature for nearly $400 million in public support, which could vote on the proposal this week. There is

Previously A was signed the agreement A stadium will also be built on Tropicana Avenue, but on the other side of Interstate 15, which runs along the Strip. They planned to ask Congress for $500 million in public funding for the 49-acre site, which includes more than just a stadium.

The new deal is a scaled-down proposal, but the location is within walking distance for fans staying in hotels on the south end of the Strip. “We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location.” “We are thrilled to be working with Bally’s and GLPI and look forward to finalizing our plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada,” Athletics president Dave Kaval said in a statement.

Kaval said he hopes to break ground on the new ballpark next year and have it open in time for the 2027 season. The Athletics have a contract with the Oakland Coliseum through 2024 and could play at the Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Triple-A Aviators, for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Tropicana opened in 1957 and in its heyday attracted celebrities such as Sammy Davis Jr. Today, Tropicana is overshadowed by nearby mega-resorts such as MGM Grand, New York-New York and Mandalay Bay, and will soon meet its doom. There are many other historic Las Vegas hotels that no longer exist.

“We are honored to have been selected to partner with the Oakland Athletics in this monumental step in bringing Major League Baseball to the great city of Las Vegas, and to participate in this once-in-a-generation opportunity. “A professional baseball team just steps from the Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana has been a Las Vegas landmark for generations, and this development is a symbol of that,” said George Papanier, president of Bally, in a statement. It will strengthen a place of honor for generations to come.” ”

The Athletics have been searching for years for a new home to replace the antiquated and dilapidated Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City in the 1968 season. The average home attendance this season is under 9,500, the lowest of the 30 teams.

The team had been in talks with the city of Oakland to build a stadium on the waterfront, but last month switched its focus entirely to Las Vegas. Company A’s exclusive bargaining rights agreement with the Port of Oakland for the Howard Terminal site expired last Friday, allowing the port to negotiate with other parties interested in using the downtown site.

On Friday, Company A also reached an agreement with the Culinary Union, a politically powerful union in Nevada representing more than 60,000 workers primarily in the Las Vegas area, to allow Company A employees to sign union contracts. guarantees the right to organize and negotiate

“We are committed to making progress for all involved so that Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, can also become a sports capital, with the Las Vegas A joining the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Las Vegas Raiders, to continue this transformation. We hope it will pave the way for you to do so “to the world,” said Ted PapaGeorge, Culinary Guild secretary and financial director, in a statement.

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Associated Press/America reporter Gabe Stern and AP Sports reporter Josh DuBow contributed to this report.