Assuming all goes according to plan, the A’s will relocate to Las Vegas in 2028 and begin playing baseball in a state-of-the-art ballpark built exclusively for them. And according to recent reports, construction will get underway in June and keep going as long as the money doesn’t run out.
Time to Dig
After the Clark County Commission approved the team’s land use permits on the site of the since-demolished Tropicana Hotel, the heavy equipment warming up in the bullpen is now ready to roll. The cost to build this modern-day baseball temple is estimated at $1.75 billion, and it will hold 33,000 fans.
A Bally’s hotel and casino will also be adjacent to the park because it’s Las Vegas, and it makes perfect sense. The plans have been drawn up for years, and now it’s time for the construction to commence. However, rumors continue to percolate that the team’s owner, John Fisher, does not have the financial wherewithal to make it all happen.
Fisher has relocated his team from Oakland to where the A’s now temporarily reside in a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento that holds roughly 14,000 people. They are scheduled to remain there until the new stadium is ready to welcome the public for the 2028 season.
Priority Access Has a Catch
In anticipation of the new ballpark, the team has announced it will “open an experience center this fall,” and the immersive space will “allow fans to preview seating options, premium services, and hospitality offerings.” Fans will also be allowed to pay $19.01 “to secure a spot in the season ticket sales process.”
However, the fine print reads, “You understand that your purchase of priority access is non-refundable and does not place you on a numbered waitlist or provide specific priority in terms of when you will be contacted or which tickets, if any, may be available to you.”
Trouble Brewing?
The A’s owner moved his team to Sin City for several reasons, but chief among them was the public funding of $380 million, while another was getting an exemption from MLB’s $300 million relocation fee because the league is desperately trying to field a team in Las Vegas.
But the chief concern regarding the project has to do with the $500 million in outside investment that has been considered vital to getting the project completed. As of this writing, the only major investment is rumored to come from food service and facilities services provider Aramark, to the tune of about $200 million.
That would leave a gaping void of some $300 million, with Fisher committing to the balance. Yet, if Fisher falls short of that amount, that would mean he would have to invest close to $1.2 billion of a family fortune estimated to be worth $3 billion. Assuming there are cost overruns, which are almost guaranteed due to the length of the project and increases in the cost of materials, that number could spiral upward to $1.5 billion or more.
However, A’s President Marc Badain has heard the rumors and casually dismissed them, saying, “Locally, everybody knows this project’s going to happen. Nationally, there are a lot of skeptics. There will always be a lot of skeptics. There’s a lot of people that make a living out of questioning the success of sports venues and what they actually do for a community. You’re never going to eradicate that negativity. It’s just out there.:”
Stay tuned for more updates on this and other news from the betting industry, including the top-rated sportsbooks.
