Bally’s vision for a casino in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx was thwarted by a New York City Council vote rejecting zoning changes that Bally’s was counting on to move the project forward.
The state is in the process of awarding three casino licenses to operators interested in bringing gambling to the nation’s largest metropolitan area. The 28-9 City Council vote against rezoning, one of the steps needed for Bally’s to proceed with its $4 billion project, resulted from a motion by Kristy Marmorato, a Republican councilmember representing the district where Bally’s wanted to build.
Marmorato seemed against building any casino in the district, according to Crain’s New York Business.
“This is not real economic development. This is not housing, a hospital, or community improvements. It’s a casino.”
NYC mayor disappointed
Bally’s sought to build a 500-room hotel and a 500,000-square-foot casino on 16 acres of land – currently housing parking lots and putting greens – adjacent to a golf course the city built on a reclaimed landfill. That golf course, known as the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, opened in 2015 and was operated by the Trump Organization through 2023, when it sold its interest to the Providence, R.I.-based casino operator for $60 million.
Part of the deal was Bally’s would pay the Trump Organization an additional $115 million should it obtain a license to operate a casino on the property.
A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, William Fowler, expressed disappointment that the vote denied Bally’s the zoning it needed to progress.
“The City Council’s disapproval of this Bronx bid pits boroughs against one another and leaves the Bronx unable to even have a shot at benefiting from the potential of new jobs and new investment in their community.”
What’s next?
With Bally’s apparently now out of the running for a casino license, seven casino projects remain in the running for the trio of licenses. Their bids are undergoing a review process from Community Advisory Committees.
The committees include three in Manhattan (The Avenir, Caesars Times Square, and Freedom Plaza), two in Queens (Hard Rock at Metropolitan Park and Resorts World NYC), one in Brooklyn (The Coney), and one in Yonkers (MGM Empire City).
