Note: The Tropicana Las Vegas permanently closed on April 2, 2024. The iconic resort — opened in 1957 and once known as the “Tiffany of the Strip” — was a legendary Rat Pack hangout and one of the final links to mob-era Las Vegas. Its hotel towers were demolished in a planned implosion on October 11, 2024 (following months of site preparation), officially ending its 67-year presence on the Strip.
The property is being redeveloped into a new Major League Baseball stadium that will serve as the future home of the relocating Oakland A’s — joining the Golden Knights and Raiders as Vegas’ growing lineup of major pro sports teams.
While the Tropicana is now part of history, we’re keeping the original sportsbook and casino review below strictly for reference. You can’t tell the full story of Las Vegas without the Tropicana — and we’re preserving that legacy here.
The resort, which first opened more than six decades ago in 1957, completed its most recent renovation in 2011 for $180 million.
At that time, the Tropicana opened a new sportsbook at 3801 South Las Vegas Boulevard, which was operated and powered by CG Technology.
The old sportsbook was an enormous 9,000-square-foot room with plenty of seating. It was one of the biggest gaming venues in the resort at the time.
It resembled a kiosk you might find in your neighborhood shopping mall. It’s small, with no seating, limited business hours, and few screens to even take a glimpse at the big game.
Instead of being in the discussion for one of the best sportsbooks in Las Vegas, the move from its former home definitely places it as one of the worst on the entire Strip.
“Maybe they will put in a real sportsbook after the new restaurant is done,” one reviewer said on Yelp as the former sportsbook space is now Robert Irvine‘s overrated Public House Restaurant. Back then, the new sportsbook earned 1.5 out of 5 ratings from reviews on Yelp. The restaurant was graded at 3.5.
Smoking was allowed around the Tropicana Las Vegas sportsbook since it was part of the main casino floor. The Tropicana sportsbook hours were daily from 12 noon to 8 p.m., but they were extended during football season.
Players had to be 21 years of age or older to wager anywhere in Nevada, including on Tropicana entertainment odds, esports or real sports betting lines or any other gaming platform in Las Vegas. Tropicana sports lines, which were also limited in size like everything else at the venue, took up more room than the televisions.
This was a terrible excuse for Tropicana sports betting. I have stayed at this budget-friendly resort many times and would never make a bet here. It’s easier to just cross over to MGM Grand — which offers longer business hours and competitive odds — and get in on the action there.
The Tropicana sportsbook — located across from the Public House which replaced it — was surrounded by slot machines and a tournament slots room. The book offered pari-mutuel wagering, daily games, sports futures and some proposition wagers, particularly for major sporting events.
Complimentary beverages were offered with a voucher. The Trop required a $50 bet on horse racing or $200 wager on sports, but it’s still a better deal across the street at MGM Grand.
Guests also had the option of registering for Tropicana online sports betting, which was available on CG Technology’s CG Sports app. You could deposit money into your new account at the Trop or any of the other CG Technology sportsbooks on the Strip like the Cosmopolitan and Lagasse’s Stadium at the Palazzo, and download the app to your Android or iOS device.
The tiny Tropicana sportsbook was easy enough to locate just steps away from the main check-in area for the resort. Players could expect to find just one betting window open during business hours, but at least the lineups were short.
Get the Hottest Odds
super Bowl, March Madness, Oscars
Tropicana sportsbook odds were found behind the venue in a display that held the betting lines of the day and futures for all the upcoming major championships.
Here are some of the sports bettors could find with posted Tropicana Las Vegas sportsbook odds:
Here are some of the bets available at land-based Las Vegas sportsbooks powered by CG Technology:
The minimum wager for any bet is $5 on the CG Sports app, but $10 at most land-based sportsbooks. But the biggest bonus of playing online is access to live betting, where the money line, point spread and over-under totals change even after the game has started.
CG Technology permits bets on tablets that do not have data plans. Wagers may be made over a wireless Internet connection as long as it is in Nevada.
The Tropicana Las Vegas was in the perfect location for those worn out from a long flight. It was one of the closest resorts to McCarran International Airport, but the air traffic was hardly ever a distraction. The 40-acre property was located on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard and near the south end of the famous Strip.
Unlike MGM and Caesars properties which are charging huge rates these days, the Tropicana offered complimentary parking to guests, with entrances off either Tropicana Avenue or Las Vegas Boulevard.
It was best to know the most budget-friendly transportation options before you land in Las Vegas. Costs add up quickly in Vegas, especially for meals and shows. Rideshare programs and the public bus system were the best bets for visitors staying at the Tropicana. Uber and Lyft are taking over market share from the more expensive taxi fares.
While Robert Irvine’s Public House dominated the main real estate at the front of the resort, there were a few other dining places situated between the resort’s two hotel towers. Here were some of those excellent dining choices at the Tropicana:
Penn National Gaming purchased the Tropicana Las Vegas for $360 million in August 2015. Gambling guests of the resort were free to join Penn National’s reward program called mychoice, which could be used there and over 35 other locations nationwide. The program rewarded new members with $30 in free play and the chance to get up to $500 in free play after three visits. Cardholders started at the Choice new member level and worked their way up to Advantage, Preferred, Elite, and Owners Club status by earning cash and tier credits. The more tier points you earned, the higher your status. And the higher your status, the more benefits you’d receive. Members could use their “mycash” rewards for hotel stays, food and beverages, retail shopping, and free slot play.
The Tropicana had a relatively small gaming area of 61,000 square feet, which was nothing compared to the 171,500-square-foot gaming floor next door at MGM Grand. Its table games were all bunched together near the main entrance of the resort and the Tropicana Lounge. Most of the slot and video poker play was located at the north end of the main casino floor, with more than 600 names and popular titles spread throughout the room. Slot limits were anywhere from a penny to a dollar in the main area and $1 to $25 in the high-limit slots room. Table minimums tended to be $10, but they climbed if there was a major sporting event on tap like a prize fight or other championships which drew a huge crowd like March Madness or the Super Bowl. Some of the games available to play included:
The Tropicana Las Vegas, which originally opened in April 1957, featured 1,467 contemporary rooms and suites in two separate areas. Guests were advised to stay in the Paradise Tower for a quick getaway to the Strip or the Club Tower to be close to the pool complex and waterfalls.
