A’s to give Las Vegas a sneak peek with spring training, stadium renderings
It will be at least three years before the Athletics move to Las Vegas. But for a weekend, Indy Gaming gives the A’s the Las Vegas designation since they’re occupying the home clubhouse at Las Vegas Ballpark. There are still a few hurdles to clear before the club can start building its stadium on the Strip.
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This week is all about the future Las Vegas Athletics.
The team — now officially referred to by Major League Baseball as the Athletics or A’s after ending its 56-year run in Oakland — will play two spring training games at the minor league Las Vegas Ballpark on Saturday and Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Before the team arrives, A’s representatives will appear at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting Thursday to discuss two items. One discussion covers appointing leadership of an oversight committee to manage the team’s $2 million annual community benefits package.
The other is a progress report on development of the $1.75 billion, 33,000-capacity stadium planned for 9 acres on the south end of the Strip. The A’s are expected to unveil several new renderings at the meeting showing some of the stadium’s interior public spaces.
A’s officials have long said the ballpark’s ceremonial groundbreaking will take place in the second quarter — between April 1 and June 30. The site has undergone preparations since the Tropicana Las Vegas closed nearly a year ago and was imploded in October.
A 36-month building timeline is anticipated for the stadium to be ready by the April 2028 season opener.
In an interview, A’s president Sandy Dean said the team is working through the entitlement process ahead of being issued a building permit and is having “constructive discussions with various departments of Clark County.”
The stadium financing plan was approved in December — $1.1 billion from team owner John Fisher’s family, a $300 million loan package from U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs, and $350 million in public financing that includes $145 million in bond and tax proceeds, $180 million in transferable tax credits and $25 million in county credit.
The A’s can’t begin construction until the team has a building permit, contingent on site approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency is accepting public comment through March 22 on potential hazards from the stadium’s construction.
How long the FAA approval process could take is open to interpretation.
“There is no typical review timeframe and it will depend on the number of comments we receive and issues they raise,” an FAA spokesman in Washington, D.C., said in an emailed statement. “The FAA’s determination is a recommendation and is not binding.”
The FAA wouldn’t comment on a February article in Rolling Stone, which detailed how staffing cutbacks in the agency’s obstacle impact team in Oklahoma City, where project evaluations such as the one for the A’s stadium take place, could slow the process. The layoffs were mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency, which is overseen by Elon Musk.
“The Clark County Building Department has not received permit applications for the proposed A’s Stadium yet, so the department is unable to comment on where that project is with regard to FAA approvals,” Clark County spokeswoman Jennifer Cooper wrote in an email.
The A’s declined to comment on the FAA’s process.
Meanwhile, the team is focused on spending the next three years sharing the 14,000-capacity Sutter Health Park in Sacramento with the city’s minor league team. The A’s have spent much of the fall and winter making improvements to the ballpark, including building a Major League-style clubhouse.
The A’s first regular season games in Sacramento on March 31-April 2 against the Chicago Cubs are sold out.
At the outset of spring training, the A’s announced that manager Mark Kotsay, whose contract was set to expire following this season, finalized a three-year contract extension that keeps him in charge through the 2028 season, with a club option for 2029. That means Kotsay should be the manager when the A’s arrive in Las Vegas.
On Friday, the A’s will launch an online sales drive for fans to secure “priority access” for season tickets. The cost is $19.01, recognizing the year the A’s came into existence.
Existing A’s and Las Vegas Aviators season ticket holders and Clark County residents who secure their spot on the list will receive purchase priority.
Losing baccarat players fuel Strip’s best gaming increase in 13 months
Las Vegas drew fewer visitors in January than a year ago. Still, Strip casinos recorded $840 million in gaming revenue, the market’s third-highest single-month total and a more than 22 percent increase from January 2024.
The reason? High-end baccarat play and losses by customers favored a handful of resorts. During January, Strip baccarat revenue was $214.3 million, up 121 percent from a year ago. Wagering on the game increased 35.8 percent to $801.3 million and casinos held almost 27 percent of all baccarat bets.
Without baccarat, Strip gaming revenue would have increased by only slightly more than 3 percent.
“It’s amazing when you think about the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to Las Vegas every month, and it’s just a few hundred that play baccarat at a level that can affect the entire market,” said Michael Lawton, the Gaming Control Board’s senior economic analyst.
Truist Securities gaming analyst Barry Jonas wrote in a research note that the Strip saw its best gaming revenue increase in 13 months in January. However, he anticipates a “softer February” given that Las Vegas didn’t host the Super Bowl as it did in 2024.
Lawton noted a relatively light event calendar for the month, saying there was little in terms of events to attract high-end customers outside of the New Year’s holiday, a Las Vegas Raiders home game in January and a handful of concerts at Strip venues.
“You don’t know how it will play out,” Lawton said. “If the players win at a high rate, that will turn the needle in the wrong direction for a few casinos.”
Statewide, gaming revenue was almost $1.44 billion in January, second-highest of all time, eclipsed only by December’s $1.46 billion. Nevada is coming off a record year of $15.6 billion.
While the Strip saw 3.3 million tourists in January, visitation was down 1.1 percent — just less than 40,000 visitors. However, average daily room rates were up 2 percent to $195.35 a night. Convention attendance increased almost 13 percent and revenue per available room — the metric the investment community uses to gauge profitability — was up 6 percent.
Last year, the Strip drew 41.7 million visitors, a 2 percent increase from 2023.
Las Vegas has more than 150,000 hotel rooms, roughly 6,000 fewer than a year ago, given the closures of The Mirage and Tropicana and other properties temporarily shutting rooms for renovations.
What I'm reading
🍁 Tariff talk seems to chill some travel from Canada to the U.S. — Johanna Jainchill, Travel Weekly
U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman said data doesn’t support Canadians staying completely away from the U.S. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says Canada is the largest provider of international visitors to Las Vegas — almost 1.4 million in 2023.
🏈 Raiders hire Vegas NBA arena developer Oak View — Jason Clinkscales, Sportico
The Las Vegas Raiders hired Oak View Group as the official food and beverage provider of Allegiant Stadium. Oak View will elevate the concession offerings at the 5-year-old venue.
🚧 Marina Bay Sands secures historic $9 billion loan for Singapore expansion — Ben Blaschke, Inside Asian Gaming
The subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands will use the funds to expand Marina Bay Sands, including adding a fourth hotel tower with a Sky Park, additional casino space, 570 suites, a 15,000-seat arena, convention space and restaurants.
News, notes and quotes
😀 Meet Orbi. Sphere’s emoji gets a name and a merchandise store
The Sphere’s emoji exosphere character now has a name — Orbi. Sphere Entertainment announced the moniker last week, along with a merchandise store at shop.thesphere.com, for purchasing apparel and accessories featuring the character that has been part of the Las Vegas skyline since 2023. The emoji has been outfitted appropriately for holidays such as Valentine’s Day and New Year’s, and donned an F1 racing helmet during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
🏎️ F1 interactive fan experience opens in Las Vegas on March 29
The off-Strip Grand Prix Plaza, the focal point for the annual Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, will open to visitors March 29 for three F1 attractions. Tickets for each experience can be purchased in advance at grandprixplaza.com or bought on-site. The attractions are: F1X, an interactive experience about the history of Formula One; F1Drive, a karting attraction that allows guests to experience part of the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit; and F1HUB, with retail and food and beverage offerings.
✈️ MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle to chair U.S. Travel board
MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbucke was selected as chairman of the U.S. Travel Association’s board of directors. The two-year appointment allows Hornbuckle to guide the travel industry’s planning for major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup with soccer matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.