Legacy of Tropicana Las Vegas - The End of an Iconic Sin City Casino

Author: Matthew Haynes

After nearly 70 years, the curtain finally came down on one of the Las Vegas strip’s most iconic and oldest gambling venues. The demolition of Tropicana Las Vegas has been announced for 9th of October 2024.

Opened in April 1957, almost 67 years to the day, and a brainchild of businessman Ben Jaffe, who was a part owner of the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach, casino Tropicana has stood the test of time witnessing several evolutionary iterations of arguably, the world’s most famous gambling resort. Costing $15 million at the time, with $800,000 committed towards decorating and landscaping, it was one of the most lucrative brick-and-mortar casinos that was built on the strip, essentially setting a precedent of ‘the bigger, the better’, although, originally, it was proposed as a $4.5 million project. It was subsequently marketed as the ‘Tiffany of the Strip’ in reference to the luxury jeweler.

Due to the rising costs, Jaffe was forced to sell his interest in Fontainebleau in order to meet the financial commitments. Such was the belief in the project; it had 30 original investors, that included popular singer Morton Downey, who had five per cent of the shares. Following the completion of the casino, which centered around an island theme, a gambling license was issued by the Gaming Control Board and owner of the Las Vegas club, J. Kell Houssels was hired to run the casino.

The Glamorous History of Tropicana Las Vegas

Over the decades, Tropicana Las Vegas has had a number of different owners, including Houssels, who, in 1959 bought out Jaffe’s interest, becoming the majority shareholder and president. Meanwhile, in 1968, Houssels sold to Trans-Texas Airways for $8.7 million, though remained its manager for the next three years.

The sixties were a great decade for the venue, though the seventies presented more competition, with the likes of Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton. During this time, the resort hosted fiesta-themed parties to boost revenue, while financier Deil Gustafson acquired the resort in 1972. As such, Sammy Davis Jr bought an eight per cent share in the property becoming the first black person to invest in the strip, though Gustafson had to sell two years later after running into financing difficulties.

One thing that can be said for sure, is that the Tropicana has a glamorous past, with multiple occasions having been hosted there throughout its history. As a result, let’s take a look at some of the ones that stick in the memories the most.

License to Kill and Iconic Feathered Showgirl Act

In 1972, Tropicana got the seal of approval from 007, after Sean Connery appeared in the James Bond edition of ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, on the big screen, which significantly raised the profile of not just the casino, but the Las Vegas Strip as whole. In the movie, one of his lines that boosted the venue’s image was: "I hear that the Hotel Tropicana is quite comfortable," which did wonders for its ever-increasing status.

Another noteworthy moment is December 24, 1959. On that day the Tropicana gifted patrons an early Christmas present; hosting the first appearance of the ‘Feathered Showgirl’ from Paris; a topless revue, which went on to become one of the most iconic acts on the strip.

Attracting guests in their thousands over the years, this gave the soon to be demolished Tropicana a distinguishable selling point compared to its competitors on the strip and ensured that people kept on coming back. Over the years, the act gained notable publicity all across the country and it wasn’t unusual to see many from New York and Miami jetting in just to see it.

It was an event that spanned almost 50 years and consisted of dancers, original music, colorful sets, acrobatic acts and comedians. This came to an end in 2009 amid the financial crisis and never returned.

Rat Pack Shows and Tropicana Mob Connections

It is no secret that the Tropicana had links with the mafia, most notably the notorious Frank Costello according to reputable Las Vegas historian Michael Green. In the weeks following the opening of the venue, the mobster was shot in the head in New York. While he did survive, police found a note in his jacket pocket which referred to the resort’s earnings, in addition to a separate figure for ‘money to be skimmed’ for Costello’s associates.

Throughout the seventies, the FBI investigated numerous mafia personnel in Kansas City charging dozens who had conspired to skim well in excess of $2 million in gambling revenue from casinos along the strip, including the Las Vegas Tropicana casino, which was related to five of the convictions.

In a much less sinister moment in its history, the famed ‘Rat Pack’ were regular guests and performers at the venue, with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr often delighting fans, gamblers and employees alike. For more than a decade, the Tropicana Las Vegas was a regular venue and the Rat Pack really helped to put it on the map, reportedly being a favorite haunt of the performers.

Meanwhile, fellow artists were frequent visitors, while also giving numerous performances. The likes of Mel Torme and Eddie Fisher delighted many crowds there, while both Gladys Knight and Wayne Newton had residences there.

Safe Haven in Las Vegas Mass Shootings

An event that put the resort in the spotlight for altogether different reasons, when a gunman opened fire from the suite of the Mandalay Bay in October 2017 onto a country music festival, the Tropicana provided much-needed refuge to thousands of fleeing peo

During the incident, 60 people were killed, in addition to two people who survived initially, though later died from complications. Despite it being an event that cast somewhat of a dark cloud over the strip, the Tropicana will forever be remembered that day for putting humanity over profit.

Global Pandemic and Two Tower Expansion

In 1977, work began on the construction of the ‘Tiffany Tower’, following the receipt of a full license, under new owner Mitzi Stauffer Briggs; heiress of the Stauffer Chemical pile. In excess of $6 million was invested by Briggs, who initially was only given a one-year probationary period, because of several previous business failures. This was part of a new strategy under Briggs in an attempt to make the casino profitable, which seemingly worked. Two years later, a second tower followed, which marked the casino as somewhat of a symbol of the strip at the time. The entire development project cost $70 million.

An event that affected the gambling industry considerably, the Tropicana like every other was forced to close its doors in March 2020, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus which meant all of its staff could not work. In total over 600,000 casino workers in Las Vegas were affected and the vast majority returned to their posts after doors were reopened, having been looked after by their respective employers - the Tropicana being one of them.

Tropicana soon returned to full flow (like most of the strip) and it wasn’t long before tourists were flocking through its doors. Certainly, this will be an event in the casino’s history, that employees are unlikely to forget.

What Comes Next for the Tropicana?

It is without a doubt the end of an era for Tropicana, and, it is fair to say, the resort has certainly made its mark on the Las Vegas strip. The site where the casino is located has been chosen to be the venue for the Oakland A’s MLB (Major League Baseball) stadium, following their relocation, which will be the dawn of a fresh epoch in the area which has diversified considerably over the last few years, already playing host to the first ever Formula 1 Las Vegas race; the Tropicana casino offering notable viewing opportunities for the occasion.

It is understood to cost $1.5 billion, with a public financing package up to $380 million being approved by the state in June 2023. Construction will reportedly begin in April 2025, following the successful demolition of the Tropicana, with the development scheduled to be finished by January 2028.

Thousands of people were present as the curtain finally came down at the site, shortly after 1pm local time on April 2 as security guards clinked chains across the doors, with many boxes of tissues being handed around as nostalgic visitors struggled to hold back the tears. At the time of its closure, there were 700 people employed by the Tropicana, many of whom had worked there for decades.

With the new stadium said to occupy nine acres, there are reports that Bally’s Corporation will keep the remaining land, with plans to then build an entirely new casino resort with 1,500 rooms, to be known as Bally’s Las Vegas, following numerous discussions to rebrand the Tropicana as a Bally’s venue. Arguably, the famed Tropicana venue has the most varied history of any casino on the strip and has captured the hearts and minds of many over the last, nearly seven decades and, no doubt will be fondly remembered.