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The Tropicana closed its doors yesterday, marking an end to the third-oldest hotel-casino in Las Vegas, with ties to the Mafia and celebrities.
Opened in 1957, the Tropicana was operated by an associate of mob boss Frank Costello. Costello was further tied to the resort when he was shot in New York carrying a paper with the resort's earnings. In the 1970s, the Tropicana was one of several hotels named in a mob plot to skim collectively $2M in gambling revenue from casinos.
The Tropicana, also known as the "Tiffany of the Strip," cost $15M to build—the most expensive Las Vegas resort at the time—and was frequented by celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra. Parts of “The Godfather” and the James Bond franchise were filmed at the resort. See photos of the Tropicana here.
The Tropicana’s closure paves the way for the construction of a $1.5B Major League Baseball stadium that will house the Oakland Athletics. It is part of a broader pivot in the city over the past decade toward sports venues.