It has been eight years since the Las Vegas Strip had an implosion. It appears there may be one in the next couple of years. Tropicana told employees this morning that the property will close on April 2, 2024.
The confirmation was first reported by Las Vegas Locally. A Vital Vegas report the night before predicted the news.
The last Las Vegas Strip implosion was at Riviera. That casino closed in 2015 and was demolished over the next year. The end of Riviera seems different than the apparent one at Tropicana.
Riviera was on an upswing at its demise
Riviera was a value resort with a variety of entertainment options that are comparable to the ones found at Tropicana. The Riviera Comedy Club offered two shows daily. “Crazy Girls” was a fixture at Riviera for decades. It also hosted some special events.
At about 150,000 square feet, Riviera’s convention center hosted major events over the years. It was equipped with seating for sporting events or conversion into traditional meeting space. Riviera hosted conventions up until its last days. The property stayed open an additional weekend to accommodate the regular billiards tournament it held for decades that is now at nearby Westgate.
The recession in the late 2000s and early 2010s was unkind to Riviera. It fell into bankruptcy during that era. In 2012, new casino management tried the value casino angle by offering single zero roulette, 1000 times craps odds, and 3/2 single deck blackjack. This helped bring publicity to the property it had not experienced in years but did not help its financial situation. On April 1, 2013, Riviera announced a going concern warning.
While the value gaming was not the success management hoped for, the company eventually returned to a breakeven status after posting losses for years before and after its 2010 bankruptcy.
Paragon Gaming replaced the management team in June 2013. It quickly increased revenue by 39 percent. These improvements kept the property above water for its remaining years. That made the 2015 announcement to sell the property to the LVCVA surprising. There were no obvious signs that the property was in danger of closing.
The situation at Tropicana is much different than Riviera’s final years
Tropicana had a property-wide renovation in 2012. That was the last major investment. The property has fallen into decline ever since. Last year, it won our award for the worst casino vibe. We described it as a casino in hospice. It will soon be put out of its misery. Sadly, hundreds of people will lose their jobs. Many worked at Tropicana for decades.
Tropicana was one of the last Las Vegas Strip casinos to reopen after the COVID closure. I was surprised it ever reopened.
The destination Cantor Gaming sportsbook and adjoining bar were replaced by Robert Irvine’s Public House, the only restaurant on the property that is open daily. The other two restaurants are closed most weekdays. The sportsbook, now operated by William Hill, is reduced to a counter with limited hours. The poker room closed around the same time.
The lone casino bar is only open one shift a day. Most slot and video poker machines on the casino floor are in older cabinets that have seen better days. The pay tables are largely unplayable. We discovered the worst high-limit video poker pay tables at Tropicana.
The table game pit has been downsizing
The most noticeable difference at Tropicana is the pit. It is down to eight tables. It was once almost three times that size. In 2020, Tropicana had seven baccarat tables. That is almost the same size as its entire pit now.
There are more tables in the Tropicana high-limit salon. However, we have not seen it open since January 2020.
The Tropicana casino floor has been nearly deserted for every one of our visits since the property reopened in 2020. While the location is prime, there is little that makes the casino stand out against all the MGM Resorts competitors that surround it.
Whatever happens with the A’s stadium on the Tropicana land, the property is deteriorating, so it makes sense to start the rebuilding process now, even if the baseball plans fall through. If you plan on visiting one last time, we wrote about the best games to play.
Suggestions if you want to stay at Tropicana one last time
If you plan on staying at Tropicana to see it one last time, it is best that you do it sooner rather than later. Many casinos are hiring table game dealers. Tropicana already dropped about two-thirds of its tables in the last few years.
If enough dealers, supervisors, or security workers leave for other jobs before the closure, the pit will close early. For this same reason, I would not wait to buy table game chips if you want one as a souvenir.
We stayed at Riviera in its final weeks. Maintenance and housekeeping workers left early. There were many broken fixtures in our rooms. There were not enough towels to go around. Previous guests stole things from the room for souvenirs.
