NATIONAL NEWS

Las Vegas will blow a kiss goodbye — literally — to the Tropicana with a flashy casino implosion

Oct 8, 2024, 12:44 PM

An exterior view shows the Tropicana Las Vegas at dusk on March 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ...

An exterior view shows the Tropicana Las Vegas at dusk on March 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel-casino opened in 1957 and will close on April 2, 2024, to make way for a planned USD 1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed stadium for Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics and a related resort development by Bally's and Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. MLB owners approved the team's relocation to Nevada in November and the A's hope to move into the ballpark, which will occupy nine acres of the 35-acre site, in 2028. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sin City will quite literally blow a kiss goodbye to the Tropicana before first light Wednesday in an elaborate implosion that will reduce to rubble the last true mob building on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Tropicana’s hotel towers are expected to tumble in 22 seconds at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The celebration will include a fireworks display and drone show.

It will be the first implosion in nearly a decade for a city that loves fresh starts and that has made casino implosions as much a part of its identity as gambling itself.

Las Vegas Strip, downtown casinos pay homage to the Tropicana on closing day

“What Las Vegas has done, in classic Las Vegas style, they’ve turned many of these implosions into spectacles,” said Geoff Schumacher, historian and vice president of exhibits and programs at the Mob Museum.

Former casino mogul Steve Wynn changed the way Las Vegas blows up casinos in 1993 with the implosion of the Dunes to make room for the Bellagio. Wynn thought not only to televise the event but created a fantastical story for the implosion that made it look like pirate ships at his other casino across the street were firing at the Dunes.

From then on, Schumacher said, there was a sense in Las Vegas that destruction at that magnitude was worth witnessing.

The city hasn’t blown up a Strip casino since 2016, when the final tower of the Riviera was leveled for a convention center expansion.

This time, the implosion will clear land for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the relocating Oakland Athletics, part of the city’s latest rebrand into a sports hub.

That will leave only the Flamingo from the city’s mob era on the Strip. But, Schumacher said, the Flamingo’s original structures are long gone. The casino was completely rebuilt in the 1990s.

The Tropicana, the third-oldest casino on the Strip, closed in April after welcoming guests for 67 years.

Once known as the “Tiffany of the Strip” for its opulence, it was a frequent haunt of the legendary Rat Pack, while its past under the mob has long cemented its place in Las Vegas lore.

It opened in 1957 with three stories and 300 hotel rooms split into two wings.

As Las Vegas rapidly evolved in the following decades, including a building boom of Strip megaresorts in the 1990s, the Tropicana also underwent major changes. Two hotel towers were added in later years. In 1979, the casino’s beloved $1 million green-and-amber stained glass ceiling was installed above the casino floor.

The Tropicana’s original low-rise hotel wings survived the many renovations, however, making it the last true mob structure on the Strip.

Behind the scenes of the casino’s grand opening, the Tropicana had ties to organized crime, largely through reputed mobster Frank Costello.

Costello was shot in the head in New York weeks after the Tropicana’s debut. He survived, but the investigation led police to a piece of paper in his coat pocket with the Tropicana’s exact earnings figure, revealing the mob’s stake in the casino.

By the 1970s, federal authorities investigating mobsters in Kansas City charged more than a dozen operatives with conspiring to skim $2 million in gambling revenue from Las Vegas casinos, including the Tropicana. Charges connected to the Tropicana alone resulted in five convictions.

Its implosion on Wednesday will be streamed live and televised by local news stations.

There will be no public viewing areas for the event, but fans of the Tropicana did have a chance in April to bid farewell to the vintage Vegas relic.
“Old Vegas, it’s going,” Joe Zappulla, a teary-eyed New Jersey resident, said at the time as he exited the casino, shortly before the locks went on the doors.

KSL 5 TV Live

National News

This artist depiction shows Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appearing in...

MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press

Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced 15 years in prison

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

13 minutes ago

The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed at the Apple Fifth Avenue store on Sept. 20, 2024, in New York....

John Towfighi, CNN

Apple wants to help airlines find your lost luggage

Apple is rolling out a new “Find My” location service that will be integrated into airline customer service at companies like Delta and United.

22 minutes ago

A bucket of fried chicken is arranged for a photograph at a Yum! Brands Inc. Kentucky Fried Chicken...

Ramishah Maruf, CNN

KFC sues Texas church over ‘Original Recipe’

Last week, KFC accused Church’s Texas Chicken of violating its trademark rights when its fried chicken competitor began using the words “Original Recipe” in its advertising and promotions.

31 minutes ago

A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the ...

Sara Cline and Kevin McGill, Associated Press

Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments

A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is “unconstitutional on its face.”

5 hours ago

Former President Donald Trump, standing with defense attorney Todd Blanche, speaks at the conclusio...

Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

Judge delays ruling on whether to scrap Trump’s conviction in hush money case

A judge is postponing a key ruling in President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case as his lawyers argued for dismissing it so he can run the country.

5 hours ago

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is seen, April 5, 2009, in Washington....

Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer

STD epidemic slows as new syphilis and gonorrhea cases fall in US

There's some good news about sexually-transmitted diseases in newly released U.S. health data.

5 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

abstract vector digital social network technology background...

Les Olson

Protecting yourself against social engineering attacks

Learn more about the common types of social engineering to protect your online or offline assets from an attack.

family having fun at home...

Lighting Design

Discover the impact of lighting on your mood

From color temperature to lighting saturation, we tackle how different lighting design setups can impact your day-to-day mood.

Laptops in a modern technology store. Department of computers in the electronics store. Choosing a ...

PC Laptops

How to choose the best laptop for college students

Finding the right laptop for college students can be hard, but with this guide we break down what to look for so you can find the best one.

young male technician is repairing a printer at office...

Les Olson

Unraveling the dilemma between leasing and buying office technology

Carefully weigh these pros and cons to make an informed decision that best suits your business growth and day-to-day operation. 

A kitchen in a modern farmhouse....

Lighting Design

A room-by-room lighting guide for your home

Bookmark this room-by-room lighting guide whenever you decide to upgrade your lighting or style a new home.

Photo courtesy of Artists of Ballet West...

Ballet West

The rising demand for ballet tickets: why they’re harder to get

Ballet West’s box office is experiencing demand they’ve never seen before, leaving many interested patrons unable to secure tickets they want.

Las Vegas will blow a kiss goodbye — literally — to the Tropicana with a flashy casino implosion