Major League Baseball is coming to the Las Vegas Strip. The Athletics are building a domed ballpark where the Tropicana used to stand, with opening planned for 2028. Here’s who owns the team, what the stadium costs, and how much of it taxpayers are covering.
Key Takeaways
- Owner: John Fisher is the A’s majority owner. In July 2026, Harbinger Sports, an Atlanta-based group with Mark Cuban as general partner and president, bought a minority stake ahead of the move.
- Cost: About $2 billion, according to the team, up from early estimates of $1.5 billion.
- Public money: Up to $380 million under the Nevada law passed in a June 2023 special session. The rest is private.
Who Owns the Team
The Fisher family has controlled the A’s since 2005. John Fisher, an heir to the Gap clothing fortune, moved the team out of Oakland after the 2024 season; it is playing temporarily in West Sacramento until Las Vegas is ready. In October 2024, Fisher pledged that his family would put $1 billion into the stadium.
New partners are joining. In July 2026, the A’s announced that Harbinger Sports bought a minority stake. Mark Cuban, former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is the group’s general partner and president; other principals include Falcons minority owner Rashaun Williams and former MLB chief financial officer Jonathan Mariner. The deal size wasn’t disclosed. Aramark, which won the ballpark’s 20-year food and drink contract in 2025, also made a financial investment in the team and stadium.
Who Pays for the Stadium
| Source | Amount | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Fisher family | $1 billion pledged | Equity from the owner |
| Construction loan | About $300 million | U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs, per the team in 2024 |
| State tax credits | Up to $180 million | Transferable tax credits issued by Nevada |
| Clark County bonds | About $120 million | Repaid from taxes generated inside a special district around the stadium |
| County infrastructure credit | $25 million | Covers roads and utilities tied to the project |
| Other investors and team money | The rest | Minority partners and team financing; the team covers cost overruns |
Public money is capped at $380 million, and the state’s first-draft bill required the team to pay the first $100 million before public funds could flow. A public stadium authority, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, owns the ballpark. The A’s sign a 30-year lease and the site is exempt from property tax during that time. Bally’s, which owns the Tropicana site with Gaming and Leisure Properties, is providing 9 of its 35 acres to the team and plans a separate resort next door.
Where Construction Stands
- Groundbreaking: June 23, 2025.
- Spending: About $400 million spent by spring 2026; the team says it’s on time and on budget.
- Progress: Lower levels done, upper decks rising, and roof trusses going up this summer.
- Opening: Target completion is February 2028, in time for opening day that season. The stadium will seat about 30,000 to 33,000.
The Debate
Supporters say a Strip ballpark adds 81 home dates a year, construction jobs and another reason to visit, paid for mostly with private money and taxes the stadium itself creates. Critics, including teachers’ union-backed Schools Over Stadiums, argued the money belonged elsewhere; the Nevada Supreme Court blocked their effort to put the funding to a public vote in 2024. The bigger question is whether the special tax district raises enough to repay the county bonds without touching the general fund.
What It Means for Las Vegas
For visitors, it’s another reason to come midweek in spring and summer, Vegas’s softer months. For locals, expect more traffic at Tropicana and the Strip on game nights, and more jobs in hospitality and security. For drivers like me, a ballpark at Tropicana means steady rides at the south end of the Strip.
Sources
- AP via WTOP: Mark Cuban’s group buys minority stake in the A’s
- Nevada Independent: Fisher pledges $1 billion
- Nevada Independent: Public financing capped at $380M
- Ballpark Digest: After $400M, ballpark on time and on budget
- New Las Vegas Stadium overview
For informational purposes only; not financial, investment or legal advice.