Coming to Tropicana: A 10-foot ‘demolition wall’ as closure nears

Bally’s Corp. is making more preparations for the Tropicana resort’s demolition as the shutdown of the historic Strip property draws nearer.

A 10-foot demolition wall will be built around the resort site following the April 2 closure. A permit for the wall was filed with Clark County estimating the cost of the 5,098-foot enclosure to be $500,000.

Speaking before the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday on an unrelated matter, Bally’s executives offered few new details about the Tropicana closure planned the morning of April 2, two days shy of the 67th anniversary of its opening.

Ameet Patel, senior vice president and western region manager for Bally’s, and Marcus Glover, executive vice president and chief financial officer, told commissioners many of the 700 current Tropicana workers are getting leads for new jobs from career fairs exclusively for them by gaming and nongaming companies. A second job fair is scheduled Saturday after the initial event Tuesday.

The gaming floor at the Tropicana will close at 3 a.m. April 2, with food and beverage departments shutting down by noon as the last hotel guests leave.

Once the Tropicana closes, a 90-day ramp-down period will begin with some maintenance and engineering employees continuing to work on the site. There’s no indication when demolition would begin.

The Tropicana has begun recognizing its employees by posting their names on the resort’s marquee. Patel said 26 percent of the Tropicana’s employees have 20 years or more service to the property.

Asked by Commissioner Brian Krolicki about details of a proposed buyout of Bally’s shares by Standard General, a New York-based hedge fund controlled by Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim, Glover said negotiations are confidential and he could provide no new details.

Bally’s disclosed the buyout proposal in a March 11 Securities and Exchange Commission filing, two days after the Nevada Gaming Control Board questioned the executives about funding shortfalls the company is experiencing in its bid to build Chicago’s first casino.

Bally’s is partnering with the Oakland Athletics’ Major League Baseball team and Tropicana landowner and landlord Gaming &Leisure Properties Inc. to build a $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat stadium on the Tropicana site.

Glover and Patel offered no updates on the status of the stadium project.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.