Published on: September 29, 2025, 11:47h.
Updated on: September 29, 2025, 12:29h.
- Advisory board endorses contentious Bronx casino proposal
- Next step is a review by the Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB)
- Bally’s faces potential challenges due to property’s connection to Trump
Bally’s initiative to establish a $4 billion casino hotel at the Ferry Point golf course in the Bronx, NY, received approval from a community advisory committee (CAC), which allows the proposal to proceed in the competition for three available downstate casino permits.
The venture called Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point faced challenges in July when the New York City Council voted 29-9 against a land-use application necessary for rezoning the site intended for the casino. The area is designated as parkland, and New York law requires that this designation be altered through legislative actions before commercial development can occur.
Mayor Eric Adams intervened by vetoing the council’s decision. Coincidentally, the CAC’s vote on the Bally’s project occurred right after Adams withdrew from the mayoral race. As a Democrat running as an independent, he faced significant competition from Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist.
Uncertainties Surrounding Bronx Casino Proposal
Bally’s joins MGM Resorts International’s Empire City Casino in Yonkers and Genting’s Resorts World New York in Queens in progressing past the CAC stage, but this does not guarantee any of these initiatives will secure one of the downstate licenses.
Submissions and others approved by CACs will proceed to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB), which will ultimately determine the three permit recipients, expected to be announced by year’s end, though delays into 2026 are possible.
The Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point project is particularly contentious as the gaming company made a $60 million payment to the Trump Organization for the remainder of its lease at that location. The agreement includes a clause stating that if Bally’s secures a downstate license, an additional $115 million must be paid to Trump’s company.
Given the former president’s unpopularity in his home state, the prospect of further enriching him through the issuance of a casino permit to Bally’s may weigh heavily on regulators’ minds, complicating the Bronx proposal’s chances. Although local politicians have expressed their disapproval of the Bronx casino plan, regulatory officials have not shown explicit bias.
Update on the New York Casino Licensing Race
On Monday, a Brooklyn CAC will cast a vote regarding The Coney, a plan presented by Global Gaming Solutions — a commercial branch of the Chickasaw Nation, Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings, and Legends — to establish a gaming facility in Coney Island.
Even if The Coney receives CAC approval—considering Adams is a committee member—it remains a long shot for one of the three downstate licenses.
On Tuesday, a Queens CAC will review the $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal spearheaded by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International. Current speculation suggests that Empire City, Resorts World New York, and Metropolitan Park are frontrunners in the New York City casino competition.