Owner of Circus Circus May Offer Land For Las Vegas Oakland A’s Stadium

For the past year or so the Oakland A’s have been teasing potential locations to build a stadium if the team leaves the Bay Area in California for a new home in Las Vegas. In May, the team said it narrowed its potential Las Vegas stadium site options to two locations.

One location is widely believed to be land on or near the Tropicana hotel. Last week there was a little clarity on the other potential location in Las Vegas for a baseball stadium to become home to the A’s.

Las Vegas casino Circus Circus enters the picture

According to an anonymous source, the Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that famed casino magnate Phil Ruffin, the owner of Treasure Island and Circus Circus, flew to the Bay Area to discuss possibly building a stadium near his northernmost casino on the Vegas Strip. Ruffin has two potential plots of land that could be home to a baseball stadium for the A’s.

Ruffin purchased Circus Circus from MGM Resorts back in 2019, but the deal included more than just the casino, hotel and amusement attractions. Circus Circus also has a 10-acre RV Park. Additionally, the sale included the adjacent land that is the 37-acre Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

The Festival Grounds land is directly on the Vegas Strip next to Circus Circus and across the street from Sahara. The smaller RV Park is technically on the Strip but at the back of the Circus Circus land that isn’t touching Las Vegas Blvd.

It appears as though A’s leadership is more focused on the larger plot of land that is currently home to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

Tropicana site still in the running for Oakland A’s stadium

Bally’s Corp. purchased the Tropicana from Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) last year. The deal will close this quarter.

On a recent earnings call, Bally’s said the company will take up to a year to consider different redevelopment options. One of those options could be adding a baseball stadium for the Oakland A’s.

Both locations remain in play should the A’s decide to leave Oakland and move to Las Vegas.

Parallel negotiations continue

The A’s have been negotiating with both Las Vegas and Oakland at the same time to find a new home. The A’s need to find a new venue. Its current stadium, RingCentral Colosseum, is falling apart.

But moving to Las Vegas remains a backup plan for the A’s. All signs point to the team preferring to stay in Oakland and move into the massive $12 billion Waterfront Ballpark District.

The stadium for the A’s in the new Waterfront District would cost an estimated $1 billion. The A’s are asking for $275 million in public financing.

There are still no official plans on what kind of stadium complex the A’s would build if the team decides to move to Las Vegas.

A’s negotiations with Oakland should come to an end soon. Oakland City Council returns from its summer break soon. This will allow the A’s and Oakland to resume negotiation on whether or not to move forward on the Waterfront Ballpark District.