Tropicana, 3rd oldest casino in Vegas, shutting down after 67 years

[Kemarit]

Not sure if you guys have heard about this story, but since I'm more of a traditional land base players and so are others here, let me share you this story,

LAS VEGAS (AP) — From its lavish opening in 1957 on a Las Vegas Boulevard surrounded by wide-open desert, to its sleepier years amid a boom in megaresorts, the Tropicana Las Vegas has been a familiar landmark home to colorful events in a city known for constant reinvention.

Now it’s a jewel of Sin City’s past. After 67 years, the Strip’s third-oldest casino shut its doors for good on Tuesday. Demolition is slated for October to make room for a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium for the relocating Oakland Athletics — part of Las Vegas’ latest rebrand as a hub for sports entertainment.

https://apnews.com/article/tropicana-casino-history-las-vegas-strip-3334ab06fdd11ada3b181813d2f04649

And this is the final hour,



I'll probably played at least once here in 99-00, if my memories serves me right. (I'm not stateside btw). Anyone in the US has experience going into this casinos and maybe shared their thoughts?

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[acroman08]

reading through the article it seems that the casino is tied to a lot of notable history that has happened in Las Vegas. quite a shame that it is closing now.

I can't help but wonder if they sold it and if so how much, I mean, I assume the casino still brings in money despite customer traffic on their establishment having slowed down compared to the past due to the newer and more modern casino/resort that has been built throughout the years, so the offer to buy it must have been big enough that they decided finally sell the casino.

[Davidvictorson]

This is my first time to hear about the Tropicana. I am not resident in the US. The memories is what will be left in the hearts and minds of those who played there, won there, lost there a did crazy things there. Unless a business is bankrupt or have serious management issue, shutting down totally because of this is strange. They could have moved to another location still in Las Vegas.

[alegotardo]

Not sure if you guys have heard about this story, but since I'm more of a traditional land base players and so are others here, let me share you this story,

I'll probably played at least once here in 99-00, if my memories serves me right. (I'm not stateside btw). Anyone in the US has experience going into this casinos and maybe shared their thoughts?

I've never had the pleasure of setting foot in this casino, but I've certainly heard some stories about it.... some good and some not so much.

One example is the fact that several chips simply started to "disappear" a few days before the casino closed.
It's hilarious to imagine that in the last days of Tropicana's operation, its customers could no longer buy US$1 and US$5 chips because several of the players were taking advantage of their last moments at the cassion to take home a souvenir.

I confess that I would do the same, after all, besides being a very important souvenir, these tokens could certainly be worth a lot of money in a few years.

[uneng]

It's just too expensive to keep these white elephants running these days of digital era. The costs involved in managing these land based casinos just doesn't worth when compared to the total income they are making. There are more sustainable and profitable concepts of casino businesses available right now to operate, and that is the tendency the industry is going to take. Only very few land based casinos are going to remain. Probably the most popular and iconic ones, as a species of museum for great enthusiasts of gambling who want to feel the vibe of how it felt to gamble in the old days.

I guess many people are going to feel nostalgic about it, but that is technology in high speed moulding the world faster than our eyes could blink. People who are able to adapt themselves to these changes are going to suffer less than the rest.

[dothebeats]

Not sure if you guys have heard about this story, but since I'm more of a traditional land base players and so are others here, let me share you this story,

I'll probably played at least once here in 99-00, if my memories serves me right. (I'm not stateside btw). Anyone in the US has experience going into this casinos and maybe shared their thoughts?

I've never had the pleasure of setting foot in this casino, but I've certainly heard some stories about it.... some good and some not so much.

One example is the fact that several chips simply started to "disappear" a few days before the casino closed.
It's hilarious to imagine that in the last days of Tropicana's operation, its customers could no longer buy US$1 and US$5 chips because several of the players were taking advantage of their last moments at the cassion to take home a souvenir.

I confess that I would do the same, after all, besides being a very important souvenir, these tokens could certainly be worth a lot of money in a few years.

It's not surprising that some players would do this. Those chips would certainly be relics that avid collectors will surely try to get their hands on. Even I would take some of those home and keep it in frames or cases to display for a long time.


From what I've seen online, Tropicana seems to be a lot more homey compared to other casinos in the Strip. However due to the changing population and demands towards gambling, they weren't able to keep up with the times and more people tend to visit the luxurious casinos like Bellagio and Wynn. They still might get some serious revenue streams from old timers, but for sure they received a huge sum in exchange of selling the casino to another party - possibly a lot higher than what they're getting from the casino alone. There'd been a lot of dreams that were made and crushed in that particular building, and for sure a lot of gamblers are sad that it had to be taken down to make way for the stadium.

[STT]

They should have kept it for historic reasons, tourism and  when its got that much history its like a movie set surely.  Alot of the history they cant state clearly because it would be mafia or some crime related surely and they dont want that ongoing implication so its all lost now.

The reasoning for old operations being lost like this is surely the ongoing threat from online and digital betting, people can bet on a phone now and its probably both easier and with more bonuses.  The old hotel with glamour cant keep up with newer innovations or at least its going to be alot harder, seems obvious this trend wont go away even if Im lacking on the exact detail; margins are being squeezed by increasing competition.

[wheelz1200]

Shame I actually like the trop.  The one in Atlantic city is one of the nicer casinos there too.  It's tough to compete with all the new stuff that's coming out.  For some reason nobody likes going to the older casinos.  I actually prefer the ones on Freemont than the fancy ones on the strip.

[AmoreJaz]

They should have kept it for historic reasons, tourism and that when its got that much history its like a movie set surely.  Alot of the history they cant state clearly because it would be mafia or some crime related surely and they dont want that ongoing implication so its all lost now.

The reasoning for old operations like this is surely the ongoing threat from online and digital betting, people can bet on a phone now and its probably both easier and with more bonuses.  The old hotel with glamour cant keep up with newer innovations or at least its going to be alot harder, seems obvious this trend wont got away even if Im lacking on the exact detail margins are being squeezed by increasing competition.

Definitely, huge amount of money is involved for the baseball stadium to replace this historic place. Bottomline, it is how money is involve in this kind of business dealings. We can't stop from this happening as the management themselves have to decide on this matter. They had their fair share of historic events and that's all there is.

Just few of the notable historical events happened related to this casino -
> The ‘TIFFANY OF THE STRIP’ Debuts
> The Mob
> The Feathered Showgirl
> Vegas Lore
> The Las Vegas Mass Shooting and more

This mob-era Las Vegas casino is officially closed. Here are some big moments in its 67 years

And very soon, this place will be just part of the history of this place. But they had golden years to remember by.

[retreat]

Nowadays, more people gamble online and this has changed people's gambling habits. Moreover, these land-based casinos are quite luxurious and most ordinary people probably won't want to enter this place - and for rich people, since the economic situation is starting to become unstable they are less likely to visit places like that. Meanwhile, operational costs, taxes, etc., increase every year, and this is the reason why Tropicana and several other casinos were forced to close their services. It's quite unfortunate because these casinos are quite historic, but because of changes in people's gambling styles and the increasing costs of gambling in Vegas, people are increasingly considering spending their money there - and maybe there will be casinos that will close because of this.

[OgNasty]

End of an era… Amazing the things time can change.

[TravelMug]

End of an era… Amazing the things time can change.

Yeah, one of the earliest casinos, and if you see some old footage of the start of the casino boom in Vegas, you can see the logo of the Tropicana. Probably older casinos has hard time to compete with the biggest and so it was decided that it's time up for one of the relics. Even in movies as well regarding casinos and the mob, have mentioned Tropicana one time or another. However, I was surprised that another modern version is going to replace it, however, it will be a stadium that is going to be erected. For maybe some old players there could be nostalgic, but the only thing they have right now is memories.

[Z390]

I don't feel anything stepping Into a land based casino to gamble, the comfort is not always there, so I prefer to gamble in my room alone.

I have some questions though.

For the past 67 years I believe that this casino must have made insane amount of money already, what could have caused this close down?

The longer a casino survives the bigger it gets in terms of growth and success, correct me if I am wrong, a bad managed casino will collapse in a matter of two years but this has made a big name for itself.

Also, it makes no sense to close it down, that same location is where some big rich people would want their business running, probably another casino, why not just sell it to others? The name and service could be changed but part of the customers will still keep using the casino.

The fact that this is even based in Las Vegas makes me wonder why.

[Darker45]

Haven't gambled there. Haven't been to Las Vegas. Haven't been to the US.

That casino has quite a history. If I were the owner, I would have sold or leased that to another gambling resort or casino. At least it won't be completely demolished. Well, businessmen must be practical rather than sentimental.

Had I been there and heard that it would shut its doors for good and would even be demolished, I would have kept with me some memorabilia. That's a place where a portion of The Godfather was shot, where James Bond stayed, and so on.

[angrybirdy]

Haven't gambled there. Haven't been to Las Vegas. Haven't been to the US.

That casino has quite a history. If I were the owner, I would have sold or leased that to another gambling resort or casino. At least it won't be completely demolished. Well, businessmen must be practical rather than sentimental.

Had I been there and heard that it would shut its doors for good and would even be demolished, I would have kept with me some memorabilia. That's a place where a portion of The Godfather was shot, where James Bond stayed, and so on.

Same here mate! I haven't been in US but I heard a lot of things about that country and when it comes to casino, Las Vegas is the most highlighted City in the US. this is sad news because the place really has a history and is well known but when it comes to business, we need to know how to keep up with other businesses especially now that we were living in a digital era, everything is moved by the internet so to avoid loss, the owner must take a risk, they can upgrade the system or way of business or else it will close and open a new and modern type of gambling business.

[swogerino]

Now I know where the slot Club Tropicana takes his name from,I didn't know about this casino yet most land line casinos have seen a diminishing number of players as the online entertainment has become much more accessible to everyone worldwide and as such maybe such will be the destiny of many other casinos,Las Vegas is also known as the capital of gambling so it is strange for me to think that they want to re-brand the city as a hub for sport entertainment,maybe the casinos are not giving the state that much revenue anymore.I highly doubt it as they still pay one of the highest taxes compared with other businesses so that is really sad to see,still for me Las Vegas remain the capital of gambling worldwide.

[Ultegra134]

I've personally never heard of it before nor have I ever been in a physical casino before. Despite that, it's still a shame such an establishment is shutting down, for the establishment itself due to its history and the employees themselves. It's a huge resort and according to the article, it's being shut down to make room for a new baseball stadium. With that being said, I'm wondering if it was facing financial troubles or not, because that's something that was not mentioned. Before reading the article, I was almost too quick to judge and claim that it didn't have the necessary audience anymore, due to the rise of online gambling, but it seems I was wrong.

Nevertheless, it's a huge shame that such a historical and intresting building is going to be demolished.

[qwertyup23]

reading through the article it seems that the casino is tied to a lot of notable history that has happened in Las Vegas. quite a shame that it is closing now.

I can't help but wonder if they sold it and if so how much, I mean, I assume the casino still brings in money despite customer traffic on their establishment having slowed down compared to the past due to the newer and more modern casino/resort that has been built throughout the years, so the offer to buy it must have been big enough that they decided finally sell the casino.

This is very surprising considering that the casino itself is located in Vegas, which is the gambling capital of the world. Even if it may not be as famous as the other gambling establishments, its geographical and physical location are worth it and profitable.

I guess that the shift to online gambling has taken a massive toll to most physical gambling establishments given that the traction that they gain is far lesser compared before the pandemic hit. But I also think that these gambling establishments must be ready for change- change in a way that they must implement other services in order to keep up with the changes happening in the world.

With all things considered, I still find it unfortunate that gambling establishments have been closing down. Recently, the Atlantic City Casino owned by Trump has shut down also. Even with the saying that the house always wins, that is not always the case.

[coin-investor]

The casino has a lot of historical background there are a lot of good and bad memories attached to it, to bad that Las Vegas is now rebranding itself as a hub for sports entertainment, it's for the betterment of the state, this is not going to be the last casino that will be shutting down.

Times are changing and one of the contributing factors is when a state or country changes its policy and direction, since Las Vegas is considered a great tourist hub the state administrator should see to it that they are in tune with the changing times, so from gambling capital the State will now become a hub for sports entertainment.

[Jating]

reading through the article it seems that the casino is tied to a lot of notable history that has happened in Las Vegas. quite a shame that it is closing now.

I can't help but wonder if they sold it and if so how much, I mean, I assume the casino still brings in money despite customer traffic on their establishment having slowed down compared to the past due to the newer and more modern casino/resort that has been built throughout the years, so the offer to buy it must have been big enough that they decided finally sell the casino.

This is very surprising considering that the casino itself is located in Vegas, which is the gambling capital of the world. Even if it may not be as famous as the other gambling establishments, its geographical and physical location are worth it and profitable.

It is, but they are remnants of the old casino, and if I'm not mistaken, there are some casinos as well that have been renovated to cope with the current times. But it's not enough for them to stay as there are a lot of competitions from big casinos in strip and online as well.

I guess that the shift to online gambling has taken a massive toll to most physical gambling establishments given that the traction that they gain is far lesser compared before the pandemic hit. But I also think that these gambling establishments must be ready for change- change in a way that they must implement other services in order to keep up with the changes happening in the world.

Most likely, we don't have the numbers, but still, gambling industry is a billion dollar business, and so everyone can still make a lot of money, whether online or traditional based. But I think in this case, it's more likely that the casino is not making money as it used to be or the owners and investors are looking for other business. Besides it has been operational for many years so for sure they've got a lot of profit from it.

With all things considered, I still find it unfortunate that gambling establishments have been closing down. Recently, the Atlantic City Casino owned by Trump has shut down also. Even with the saying that the house always wins, that is not always the case.

As I have explained above, they could still be the winner after all, with the profits that they have made in 67 years in existence.