Just a few weeks ago, Bally’s announced to its employees plans to demolish Tropicana Las Vegas casino to allow the construction of Oakland Athletics Stadium. The plan was still at the preliminary levels but the gambling operator bet on its success. Now, Bally’s must be celebrating as its dream comes true.
This is after Governor Joe Lombardo signed Senate Bill 1 on Thursday. Oakland Athletics Stadium needed $380 million in public funding to proceed.
With the signing of Senate Bill 1, the baseball team just got itself $380 million of the total $1.5 million required. Now, the ball goes to major league owners, who are required to approve the deal.
Where It Started
Initially, Oakland Athletics had a deal with Red Rocks Resorts to build a $1 billion stadium in Sin City. The baseball team was to buy land from Red Rocks and finance its project to build the retractable roof stadium. Unfortunately, this deal did not come to fruition.
The team was fortunate enough to get a deal from Bally’s. But, the Nevada Legislature had to approve public funding.
Governor Lombardo introduced Senate Bill 1, formerly going as Senate Bill 509. The original bill failed to pass during the regular session. With several amendments, Senate Bill 1 passed the Assembly after garnering a 25-15 vote on Wednesday and 13-8 on Tuesday at the Senate.
With the approval of the bill in both houses, this left the Oakland Athletics Stadium two steps away from becoming a reality. Now that the governor has signed the bill, A’s can have their stadium.
The new ballpark is projected to open in 2028. It will feature a retractable roof and a 30,000-seat. The baseball team will also cover the remaining construction costs.
Oakland Athletics Stadium Coming to Tropicana’s Current Position
Bally’s Corporation gave Oakland Athletics land for free. The land, however, is currently housing the 66-year-old Tropicana Las Vegas Casino. This will have to go to allow the construction of the A’s stadium.
The baseball team will transfer land ownership rights to a public agency to avoid paying property tax. Meanwhile, the agency will lease the land to the team for free.
Currently, the baseball team leases Oakland Coliseum. This lease will expire at the end of the 2024 season, after which the team will not renew it.
Instead, Oakland Athletics will share the grounds with their Triple-A affiliate, Las Vegas Aviators, until its stadium at Tropicana is complete. This will be the first time since 2004 that an MLB (Major League Baseball) baseball team is relocating.
Some experts still wonder whether A’s move is a smart move. Currently, the A’s have sold an average of 9,137 tickets per game at the Summerlin Ballpark. The stadium has 10,000 seats, while the new stadium will have 30,000 seats.
What’s more, A’s is considered the worst MLB team in history, with 19 wins and 50 losses. The team is steps away from becoming the 1939 St.Louis Browns, which had 43 wins and 111 losses.
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