Bally’s Fails to Receive Zoning Approval, Could Be Out of New York Casino Race

A Bally’s casino proposal in the Bronx may be dead in the water after it failed to receive zoning approval from the New York City Council.

The project is one of eight that are up for three possible casino operator’s licenses in New York. The $4 billion facility cannot proceed until it receives approval from the Council, which voted against it 29-9 with four abstentions.

If approved, Bally’s would be able to transform land at Golf Links at Ferry’s Point  into a campus for its casino.

Hitting the wall

The Council submitted its vote on Monday. Bally’s hoped to redesignate part of its 222-acre property to support the casino, which could be approved in Dec. in accordance with the state’s timeline for license issuance.

Councilor Kristy Marmorato (R-13th District) was among the strongest voices opposing the casino. 

“If I make a promise to my community, I follow through,” she said regarding her pledge to stop the “predatory development.” “We won’t win every battle, but we will always fight for what’s right.” 

According to Marmorato, the majority of the nearby Throggs Neck neighborhood opposed the casino. That’s significant since she has one of the most profound voices on the Council due to her nearby constituency. 

“Council members have their own individual perspectives on the value of potential casinos in New York City, which contributed to their votes on whether to support or oppose this land use application for a proposed casino,” said Council spokesperson Mara Davis.

Meanwhile, Bally’s Chair Soo Kim implied that the Council was not being honest with him.

Bally’s repeatedly increased its offerings to the local community to help facilitate the casino’s development and to meet the demands of city officials. 

“It’s sort of nutty. What more can we do than meet the ask?” Kim said. We thought this was a good-faith negotiation that we were told was achievable. Maybe this whole thing was done in bad faith.”

Is there a path forward?

Bally’s had agreed to provide $17.5 million to a Bronx-centered fund that would be largely controlled by Marmarato, though that now appears inconsequential.

The New York Gaming Facility Location Board, which will decide which casino proposals to approve later this year, can only sign off on projects that receive approval from the Council and have settled all local zoning requirements.

Unless the Bally’s casino can sway a significant portion of voters, its $1 application has no chance of being selected for licensing.

This isn’t the first time that Bally’s has run into trouble during its application process. Kim previously suggested that it struggled to make progress due to supposed political connections with President Donald Trump.

The Trump Organization sold the golf course lease to Bally’s in 2023 for $60 million. The sale included a clause that entitled Trump to $115 million if Bally’s secured a gaming license for the property. 

With Bally’s falling behind in the race, the other seven projects up for approval are still moving ahead. That includes New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Queens facility, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation’s Times Square casino, and other high-profile bidders.