Oakland A’s plan move to Bally’s Tropicana Las Vegas property

Bally’s Corporation and Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI) have announced a binding agreement with the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (Oakland A’s) to construct a Major League Baseball park at Bally’s Tropicana Las Vegas.

Bally’s consummated its purchase of the gaming and other assets when GLPI and PENN transferred ownership of the non-land assets of the Tropicana Las Vegas to Bally’s for $148 million in cash paid to GLPI on September 27, 2022.

Bally’s still intends to operate a casino from the location and expand assets on other portions of the property.

2.5 Million New Visits to the Location Expected Annually

The park is expected to deliver two and a half million fans per year to the only site of its type on the Las Vegas Strip. Benefits heralded in the announcement include enhanced attraction at the site driven by increased visitations, and the ability to further develop the site in a phased manner with a financial approach based on disciplined further investment.

Additional enhancements for iconic and sponsoring brands at one of the busiest traffic intersections in America which sees over seven-million visitor impressions each month, and significant marketing database growth for Bally’s to exploit as part of its global omnichannel growth strategy.

GLPI maintained ownership of the property which it had earlier purchased and was leased back to Penn National Gaming prior to Bally’s purchasing the gaming assets, license rights, etc. GLPI will pitch in up to $175 million toward improvements and receive future rent increases based on the increased value.

Bally’s is also banking on increased footfall for the casino and other assets through the ballpark and other attractions.

The Oakland A’s or stadium authority will have about 9 acres of the 35-acre site assigned for development by Bally’s and GLPI. The stadium would hold as many as 30,000 visitors at a time.

Oakland’s Triple-A minor league team, the Aviators already calls Las Vegas home.

Bally’s Confident but Hedging its Bet

Bally’s kept an Ace in the hole to assign assets and attract other partners, and it has other parties expressing interest in a similar offering. However, it is expected the necessary approvals from the MLB Association as well as public finance and legislative agreements will all come into place to make the current plan a reality.

Bally’s President, George Papanier, said “We are honored to have been selected to partner with the Oakland Athletics on this monumental step in helping to bring Major League Baseball to the great city of Las Vegas and to be a part of the once-in-a-generation opportunity of having a professional baseball team located within a short walk of the Las Vegas Strip.

“The Tropicana has been a landmark of Las Vegas for generations, and this development will enhance this iconic site for generations to come. We are committed to ensuring that the development and ballpark built in its place will become a new landmark, paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas and its nearly 50 million visitors a year,” Papanier noted.

Among other comments, Peter Carlino, Chairman and CEO of Gaming & Leisure Properties said: “We are pleased to help facilitate their exciting vision for a new ballpark through our contribution of nine acres of the Tropicana site and look forward to the prominent place that the overall project will occupy in the Las Vegas skyline. The Oakland Athletics’ interest in developing a world-class Major League Baseball stadium on our site underscores its status as one of the most prime locations on the Las Vegas Strip and will enhance any future development of our remaining 26 acres.

“As the project moves forward, we also expect that Gaming & Leisure Properties will have opportunities to further invest in the various aspects of the overall project to the extent we deem that doing so will generate an attractive risk-adjusted return on our shareholders’ capital.”

Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval added: “We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location. We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties, and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada.”

Source: Bally’s to replace Las Vegas Strip casino with MLB ballpark, G3 Newswire, May 16, 2023