NYC Council Nixes Bally’s Bronx Casino Plan, Likely Ending Its License Bid

The view of New York from Ferry Point in the Bronx, where it looks like Bally's will NOT be building a casino anytime soon. (Photo: Kenneth Grant / Alamy)

The New York City Council voted to reject necessary land-use changes required for Bally’s to build a casino on Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx, a move that will make it all but impossible for the project to earn one of three New York downstate casino licenses.

The council voted 29-9 with 4 abstentions in favor of a motion to disapprove the land-use changes on Monday, which were required due to the designated city parkland on which Bally’s wanted to build its casino and other amenities.

Councilors Defer to Local Rep on Land-Use Decision

The motion to disapprove the changes was introduced by Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato (R-Bronx). The overwhelming vote – despite coming from a member of the Republican minority on the New York City Council – was a continuation of a long-held tradition on the council in which members largely defer to local councilors on land-use matters.

“Today’s outcome proves that when we stand united – across party lines and with our constituents – we win,” Marmorato said in a statement on the vote. “If I make a promise to my community, I follow through. We won’t win every battle, but we will always fight for what’s right.”

The vote came a month after the City Council appeared to give the Bally’s project a last-minute lifeline. With the help of support from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the council passed a home rule message that was necessary for the state legislature to vote on a parkland alienation bill just before it ended its 2025 legislative session. 

That led to the New York Senate and Assembly quickly passing the necessary bills. However, Bally’s still needed a separate approval from the city by Sept. 30 – which it failed to receive due to Monday’s vote. 

Kim: Bally’s Tried to Meet Councilor’s Demands 

The decision came as a disappointment to Bally’s CEO Soo Kim.

“We had met the council member’s ask in terms of what exceptional community benefits they wanted,” Kim told Crain’s New York Business. “That ask was moving the goalposts from the prior ask, which we had met as well…it’s sort of nutty. What more can we do than meet the ask?”

Marmorato acknowledged the “last-minute offers” from Bally’s, but said they didn’t sway her.

“After weighing every concern, the decision was clear: this did not meet the standards the community deserves,” Marmorato wrote in her statement.

Other councilmembers from the Bronx largely voted against the rejection, which some saying that it would have provided a welcome economic boost for the borough.

“As a Bronx kid who is raising his family in the borough, I am deeply concerned that today we will fail to allow the Bronx to tap into the potential economic development opportunities,” Councilman Rafael Salamanca (D-Bronx) said during Monday’s meeting. “Once again, the Bronx is being left behind.”

Like several other casino bidders in New York City, the Bally’s proposal had faced its fair share of local opposition. The project was also dogged by the fact that the Trump Organization would have earned an additional payout of $115 million if Bally’s earned a casino license – a provision in the sale agreement when Bally’s bought the lease for the former Trump Links golf course in 2024 for $60 million. 

According to Crain’s, both Kim and another source close to the casino bid have acknowledged that the City Council vote will likely knock Bally’s out of the New York casino race. That will leave seven bidders in the running for the three available licenses. And while the Bally’s bid wasn’t considered a top contender, the casino firm’s exit from the race will still shake up the odds for the remaining bidders.