Las Vegas is poised to bid adieu to the iconic Tropicana casino with a spectacular implosion scheduled for early Wednesday morning. Set to take place at 2:30 a.m., this dramatic event will see the hotel towers of the Tropicana crumble in a mere 22 seconds. Accompanying the implosion will be an extravagant fireworks display and a synchronized drone show, marking the first casino demolition in nearly a decade. Historian Geoff Schumacher, vice president of the Mob Museum, remarked that Las Vegas has transformed such demolitions into “must-see events,” with the grand spectacle beginning with the 1993 implosion of the Dunes by Steve Wynn.
Established in 1957, the Tropicana was famously dubbed the “Tiffany of the Strip,” celebrated for its opulent design and deep connections to the Rat Pack. However, its storied past is also intertwined with organized crime, securing its place in the annals of Vegas history. Notably, the casino had ties to notorious mobster Frank Costello, whose link to the Tropicana was exposed after he was shot just weeks following its grand opening. Federal investigations in the 1970s unveiled a scheme that skimmed $2 million in gambling revenue from the casino, resulting in several convictions.
The forthcoming implosion will pave the way for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics, reflecting Las Vegas’s ongoing evolution into a prominent sports hub. The Tropicana closed its doors in April after 67 years of operation, leaving the Flamingo as the last remaining casino from the mob era on the Strip. Although there won’t be public viewing areas for the demolition, fans had the opportunity to say their farewells to this historic landmark back in April.
