Longtime Las Vegas casino developer Phil Ruffin recently held a meeting with the Oakland A’s MLB franchise to discuss the possibility of building a new ballpark at a site close to Ruffin’s Circus Circus casino, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The site is a 37-acre plot known as the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, which is located near the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The A’s have been exploring relocation options in both Las Vegas and Oakland, and Ruffin’s proposal is just one of several meetings the team has had, according to the team’s president Dave Kaval.
Ruffin initially acquired Circus Circus from MGM Resorts back in 2019, and at that time he told the Nevada Gaming Control Board that he planned to overhaul many of the 3,700-room property’s amenities. A new professional sports stadium, however, was not among those proposals.
The other Las Vegas location that has been heavily rumored to be connected to the A’s is the site of the famous Tropicana casino, according to the Review-Journal.
The casino is operated by Bally’s, but the land is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLP). GLP previously announced in August of last year that it was meeting with Bally’s to discuss the “potential for more assets” to be developed on the property.
In January, Bally’s Chairman Sooyung Kim said the company was exploring numerous options for the Tropicana site, including demolition. The company purchased the property in April of last year for $308 million.
