Tropicana Implosion Provides One Last Show for Las Vegas Visitors

Workers demolished the iconic Tropicana casino early Wednesday morning to make room for a planned $1.5 billion stadium for the Oakland Athletics, who are planning to move to Las Vegas in 2028.

At 2:30 a.m., in true Vegas fashion, people celebrated the implosion with a drone and fireworks display.

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told NBC News, “It’s kind of a celebration of life for all that property has meant to Las Vegas.”

The city last demolished a Strip casino in 2016, when the final tower of the Riviera was razed to make way for a convention center expansion.

Why Such a Spectacle for Tropicana Implosion?

In 1993, former casino mogul Steve Wynn changed how Las Vegas demolished casinos by blowing up the Dunes to make way for the Bellagio.

Wynn made the event exciting by showing it on TV and creating a story where pirate ships from his other casino seemed to attack the Dunes. This made people in Las Vegas see big casino demolitions as events worth watching.

The Tropicana, once the most luxurious resort on the Strip, spent its last years serving more budget-friendly visitors before it closed for good on April 2.

The 22-story hotel opened in 1957 and was one of the most expensive hotels built at that time. When it first opened, it had a huge 60-foot fountain and hosted illusionists Siegfried and Roy.

The hotel appeared in the 1971 James Bond movie “Diamonds Are Forever” and “The Godfather” the next year. It also had the longest-running show in Las Vegas history, Les Folies Bergere, which ran for nearly 50 years and featured the famous feathered showgirls that Vegas is known for.

In the '60s, the hotel’s Blue Room showcased popular jazz musicians and was considered one of the best lounges in Las Vegas.

Demolition Part of Shift in Las Vegas

Once known for its smoky casinos, $5 steak and lobster dinners, and budget hotels, Las Vegas is moving away from its reputation as a budget-friendly destination.

The city is now focusing on attracting wealthier visitors by offering sports and entertainment experiences beyond traditional casino card games. 

Las Vegas is increasingly appealing to guests interested in wellness and luxury. Its customer base is broadening to include not just casino gamblers, but also sports fans, concertgoers and large convention attendees.

Previously considered unsuitable for major sports due to its ties to gambling, Las Vegas has seen a shift as sports betting becomes legal in many states. When the Athletics move to the city in 2028, they will join teams from the NFL, NHL and WNBA, as well as various conference and NCAA basketball tournament games. The city is also a frontrunner to add an NBA expansion team in the near future.

According to a recent study by Forbes Advisor, this shift is pushing prices to new heights. In the last five years, the cost of car rentals has increased by 61%, hotels by 47% and food by 14%.

The Trop: Gone But Not Forgotten

Although the Tropicana is an iconic part of the history of Sin City, it was no longer making sense economically. And money talks, especially in Vegas.

With the demolition of the Trop, the Flamingo will be the only remaining casino from the city's mob era on the Strip. However, the original structures of the Flamingo are long gone, as the casino was entirely rebuilt in the 1990s.

Locals and visitors in town for the Tropicana’s demolition were largely optimistic about the city's future, viewing it as a natural step in its ongoing evolution. Yes, old Vegas is largely gone, but it will never be forgotten.