The last day of the current Tropicana Las Vegas casino is slowly nearing. This is after its new owner, Bally`s Corporation announced on Monday that it will close the property for 18 to 24 months.
This is not news though. Several months ago, the Oakland Athletics MLB team chose its new stadium at the Tropicana`s 35 acres piece of land. This would mean demolishing the third-oldest gaming property to allow the construction of the stadium.
Bally`s announced the news through a FAQ. The questions and answers were sent to employees through email.
The Announcement
The news about the closure of Tropicana Las Vegas broke on Monday. Bally`s and Oakland Athletics also disclosed a binding agreement that would see the construction of a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 seats. The stadium would have a retractable roof and cost around $395 million in public financing.
Fortunately, this would not be the last of the Tropicana Las Vegas casinos. Bally`s has promised to build another casino bearing its brand name. The new casino would stand next to the new stadium and feature a 1,500-room hotel.
The Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. (GLPI) is also on board. The firm has pledged $175 million to go towards the development of the new stadium in exchange for increased rent.
GLPI is the owner of the land where Tropicana Las Vegas sits. The company leases the property to Bally’s.
Premature Closure Announcement
Some people feel that Bally`s made a premature announcement about the closure of Tropicana. Until several weeks ago, Oakland Athletics was in talks with Red Rock Resorts. The two hope to build a new stadium on Red Rock`s 49-acre piece of land.
The stadium would have been built where the former Wild Wild West Gambling Hall and Hotel stood. Moreover, Red Rock and Oakland Athletics had signed a binding agreement.
Yet, this was not enough to see through the talks. This leaves the public skeptical about the closure of Tropicana Las Vegas.
Statement by Bally’s Corporation Spokesperson
The FAQ circulated yesterday was issued prematurely and was inaccurate. The FAQ issued today (and attached) accurately conveys the current situation. The plans regarding the recently announced agreement with the Oakland Athletics are in very preliminary stages, and our focus at this time is on continuing to operate the Tropicana. We will be prepared to support Tropicana employees if and when the need should arise.
— Bally’s Corporation spokesperson
The Culinary Union Has Tropicana Employees` Back
Tropicana employees did not get the official closure announcement the best way. As earlier mentioned, Bally`s delivered a FAQ document through email.
One of the questions on the FAQ asked whether the employees would lose their jobs and the answer was yes. The answer goes ahead to clarify that these employees would get a better opportunity once the property reopens in the future.
This leaves employees with a lot of questions. Fortunately, the Culinary Union Local 226 has their back.
On Tuesday, the union assured Tropicana Las Vegas employees that they were protected. The union said that Bally`s has its promises to these employees. Moreover, the casino operator has a contract with the union, which protects its members.
According to the union, Tropicana employees will continue getting benefits and job training. Also, these employees will have the first opportunity for job openings. Culinary Union hopes to negotiate to ensure these employees get health care coverage, better compensation, and pensions while the Tropicana is closed.
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