Bally’s Becomes Third New York Casino Proposal to Pass Committee Vote

Bally’s casino proposal in the Bronx will advance to the next phase of the approval process after the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) voted in favor of it. 

CAC members appointed by local elected officials said they believed Bally’s is a credible community partner that would bring economic opportunities that rarely reach the Bronx, and will provide investment in the surrounding community.

The motion to send the application to the New York State Gaming Commission for final approval in December passed 5-1. CAC member Danielle Volpe was the lone nay vote.

“This proposal is unresponsive to dismissive and disconnected from the surrounding community,” Volpe said.

Bally’s plans to build a 500,000-square-foot gaming facility structure within a larger complex expected to span 3 million square feet in the East Bronx. It is also slated to include a 500-room hotel, a 2,000-person event center and the existing Golf Links at Ferry Point designed by pro golfer Jack Nicklaus.

The developers expect the casino at 450 Hutchinson Parkway to attract 9.2 million annual visitors when it reaches its height and produce $1.2 billion in net economic output, according to Bally’s.

The land targeted by the casino spans 16 of 300 acres of the existing golf course and will be accessible by the NYC Ferry stop at Ferry Point Park.

Bally’s proposal has been less popular among local lawmakers, who tried to kill the project well ahead of its expected CAC vote by passing a measure in July to oppose any rezoning the applicants would need for the development. The local community board also opposed the proposal.

Mayor Eric Adams, however, vetoed the bill on the grounds that the deciding factors in the process should be the CAC and the Gaming Commission, essentially reviving the casino bid.

The city-owned golf course was previously operated by the Trump Organization under the name Trump Golf Links Ferry Point. A 20-year lease signed in 2015 ended in September 2025 when Bally’s took it over.

Three other casino proposals have already been rejected and are out of the running: Caesars Palace Times Square, Freedom Plaza near the United Nations and The Avenir on the far West Side.

The two racinos in the running, Resorts World New York City in southeast Queens and MGM Empire City in Yonkers, were also approved unanimously last week.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.