⚾ Field of Schemes: How Vegas Got Played by the A’s and Bally’s

A year after the Tropicana implosion, locals are still waiting for a stadium, a resort, and a reason to care.

It was 2:37 a.m. on October 9, 2024 when the Tropicana’s twin towers fell in a blaze of explosives, fireworks, and drone lights. What I saw wasn’t just a building collapsing; it felt like Vegas erasing a piece of its own memory. The last great mob-built hotel was gone. Yet the city cheered. Because in its place, they promised us “progress,” a then $1.5-billion ballpark for the A’s, and a new Bally’s resort to wrap the corner in glam.

One year later? The stadium is rising, along with the cost, now over $2-billion. The resort side? Still stuck in rendering purgatory. And locals? They’re done with being sold dreams. They remember what was lost, and they know the difference between capital and con.

A year after the Tropicana implosion, locals are still waiting for the cost of a stadium, a resort, and a reason to care. We’ve got the inside story on Bally’s, the A’s, and why Vegas isn’t impressed.