The A's Just Took One More Step Towards a Las Vegas Move

Currently, Las Vegas is home to one professional sports team that once called Oakland home. Will that number rise to two in the very near future? Whatever the odds were before, they seem to be getting even better by the day. In April of 2023, the Oakland Athletics entered into an agreement to purchase land in Vegas with the intention of building a stadium there. As of a few weeks later, it’s a little clearer as to who will be handling the development.

That would be Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties. As ESPN reported, the announcement came on Monday, May 15 — and included some details about the stadium that have been consistent with previous reports. That includes the capacity — 30,000 seats — as well as a price tag of around $1.5 billion. As for the location, it’ll occupy the same space as the Tropicana — provided one more piece of the equation is successful.

Nevada’s Legislature still needs to vote on roughly $400 million in public funding that would go towards the stadium. If that vote doesn’t go through, the future of the project seems more uncertain.

Dave Kaval, the president of the A’s, spoke of “the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location” in a statement. “We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and GLPI, and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada,” he added.

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ESPN notes that the Athletics’ lease on their current stadium runs through 2024. Should this development proceed, the stadium would target a completion date that would have it open to the public in 2027. The Las Vegas Aviators, the A’s AAA affiliate, currently play in the 10,000-capacity Las Vegas Ballpark, which would become the A’s home for 2025 and 2026.

What will the future of pro sports in Las Vegas look like at the end of the decade? That remains uncertain — but Major League Baseball having a presence in the city seems even more likely.