Second oldest casino on Las Vegas’s Strip to be demolished for upcoming stadium

The Tropicana was established in 1957, making it the second oldest IR on the Las VegasStrip; Oakland Athletics Stadium to be put in place, according to Tropicana operator Bally’s

Original story by Daniel Kline for TheStreet

While Las Vegas has always looked to the past for some of its entertainment choices, it’s much less nostalgic when it comes to aging casinos. That’s especially true on the Las Vegas Strip where land has become so exceptionally valuable that it makes little sense to operate dated properties.

That’s why it makes sense for Bally’s Corp. to demolish The Tropicana to make way for a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics. Built in 1957, Tropicana is the second oldest resort casino on the Strip.

Bally’s owns the casino operating rights at the Tropicana site and will retain those once the stadium has been built on nine acres of the 35-acre site. The stadium will be a massive traffic driver, so it makes sense for the company to build something new to best capitalize on 30,000 people coming to the stadium for 81 home games each year.

Tropicana’s future has been in jeopardy for years simply due to its age. The same could be said of Caesars Entertainment’s, but with the company opting not to sell that property, a remodel is actually more likely than a total teardown.

Now, a casino that sits next to Caesar’s, the Flamingo, actually looks like the next property likely to be imploded or face a wrecking ball.

The Strip’s Casino Royale seems like a reminder of Las Vegas’ past. It’s a small dated property operated by Best Western. Its biggest draw in recent years has been that the casino offers free play (usually $25) for anyone who registers for its loyalty program.

Mostly, however, the small casino looks out of place nestled amidst a number of Caesars properties. Now, the owners of Casino Royale have been approved to build a much different development on the property and they’re on the clock to get construction going.

Other aging casinos on the Las Vegas strip are facing a similar crisis of facing the wrecking ball. Read the full story by Daniel Kline for The Street here: https://www.thestreet.com/travel/old-school-las-vegas-strip-casino-faces-surprise-implosion