“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is a saying we should all be familiar with. It feels even more appropriate when it comes to retired casinos in the area. At this time, there have been 14 casinos that were imploded along the Las Vegas Strip. Soon, another retired casino/hotel will be joining the list to make way for the construction of a proposed home field for the relocating Oakland A’s.
The Tropicana Las Vegas is set to implode in late 2024, as confirmed by the company behind previous resort implosions. Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), confirmed the company would be handling the upcoming implosion. “CDI has received a written confirmation that we will be imploding the Tropicana structures later this year. There is a lot of ground to cover before we could provide specific information.”
CDI has been behind implosions on the Strip for several resorts, dating all the way back to The Landmark Hotel in 1995. The last resort imploded by CDI was the Rivera Hotel in 2016.
Bally’s Corporation, owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas, previously implied they were looking at demolition beginning October 2024. We had no idea how much work needs to go into getting approved for a controlled implosion. The checklist includes securing dust control and asbestos abatement permits and creating crowd and traffic control plans. You even need to get a special event permit. We just hope they set up a livestream so the implosion can be viewed at home.
The Tropicana Las Vegas first opened in 1957 and officially closed on April 2nd, 2024. Once the hotel-casino is demolished, construction is expected to begin on a baseball stadium. The $1.5 billion, 33,000 seat stadium will become the new home of for the Oakland A’s baseball team. Major League Baseball owners approved the team relocation back in November 2023, much to the disappointment of the team’s fans.
The Oakland A’s are expected to move into the completed domed stadium in 2028. The team will finish this season as their last in Oakland. The A’s will be moving to California’s state capitol Sacramento to play the 2025 season.