Tropicana Will Close in Las Vegas in Two Years

A day after announcing a binding agreement to sell some of its land to the Oakland Athletics to bring the franchise to Las Vegas, the owners of the famed Tropicana Hotel informed employees that it will close within two years.

The hotel-casino plans to build a new ballpark on some of the property.

The Tropicana has been part of the Las Vegas Strip for almost 60 years.

“For the past three years, we’ve been hearing about this being a possible location for the ballpark,” said Harry Basil, the General Manager of the Laugh Factory Comedy Club at the Tropicana.

The news is neither ironic nor coincidental. It is well known that Las Vegas had been in pursuit of a major league baseball team for years, especially after it landed an expansion franchise in the National Hockey League and a National Football League team.

Basil said he had heard talk of the A’s moving to Las Vegas for years.

The shutdown is expected within 18 to 24 months, although it may only close temporarily. It is expected to stay open during the construction of the ballpark. Since only a portion of the land was sold, it is unknown why the hotel would close when it will only be steps away from the ballpark. Unless it was a provision in the agreement,

“If they continue to operate here and have a property, how exciting would that be to be on the site of the baseball stadium?” he asked excitedly.

A source that represents the Tropicana informed FOX5 no employees were terminated as a result of Monday’s announcement.