Share
The historic Tropicana Las Vegas tumbled to the ground this week in a planned implosion of the casino and hotel.
Welcoming guests since 1957, Tropicana Casino Hotel was the third-oldest casino on the Strip. It went down in a 22-second collapse early Wednesday morning.
Key takeaways
- In a celebration that was followed by a fireworks display and drone show, Sin City said goodbye to Tropicana Las Vegas this week.
- After 67 years on the Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana Las Vegas closed in April, making way for the new Las Vegas baseball stadium.
- Despite the implosion of the former Nevada casino, the Tropicana brand lives on. Tropicana Online Casino is currently available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Las Vegas says goodbye to Tropicana Hotel Casino
In a celebration followed by a fireworks display and drone show, the two 23-story towers comprising Tropicana’s hotel and casino collided on Oct. 9 at 2:37 a.m. local time.
There was no public viewing of the Tropicana implosion because of safety risks, according to an Associated Press article. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department closed the streets around the 35-acre Las Vegas Strip.
But crowds still gathered on Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalks to witness the casino-hotel’s implosion. People from neighboring hotels could see the fireworks show accompanied by more than 500 drones, spelling out “Tropicana,” “Bally’s,” and “A’s.”
The spectacle could be viewed on live streams and local media as the valley said goodbye to this historic place. FOX5 KVVU-TV provided live coverage showing memories of nearly seven decades of entertainment.
When it opened in 1957, Tropicana Casino Resort featured three stories and 300 rooms split into two wings. As Las Vegas rapidly grew, the original Nevada casino and hotel underwent major changes and renovations. Tropicana was also known to have ties to organized crime through mobster Frank Costello.
The Tropicana implosion cleared land for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the relocating Oakland Athletics. Bally’s and Gaming and Leisure Properties plan to build the ballpark on about nine acres.
This wasn’t the first Las Vegas hotel implosion, as Sin City has staged 13 implosions over decades. Before the Tropicana, Riviera was the last Vegas casino to collapse in 2016.
Tropicana brand lives on
Although the iconic Tropicana Las Vegas was imploded after seven decades of hosting gaming and entertainment, the name is alive and well in the US online casino gaming space, teaming with Caesars Digital.
Tropicana Online Casino is currently available in the NJ online casino and PA online casino markets.
Another Caesars skin, Horseshoe Casino, recently went live to players in Michigan. It also has Caesars Palace Online Casino.
Tropicana has a long history in Garden State, where it went live in 2013. In 2022, the app switched platform providers and relaunched in New Jersey in March last year. In April 2023, Caesars launched a revamped Tropicana Online Casino in Pennsylvania.
The Tropicana brand has its roots in the Garden State, where its leading casino resort property, Tropicana Atlantic City (often called The Trop and the East Coast gambling hub), is located.
As Tropicana is a Caesars partner, it allows players to connect their Caesars Rewards accounts and exchange rewards points for unique experiences at Caesars casinos in the US.
