Field narrows
Bally’s Corporation could soon be joining Las Vegas Sands and Saks Fifth Avenue in exiting the protracted race for three licenses to operate a casino in downstate New York.
While Sands and Saks voluntarily pulled out of the NY bid, the Bally’s setback comes as an apparent shock.
voted to reject the proposed land-use changes
A seemingly nailed-on death sentence for Bally’s pitch for a US$4bn casino in the Bronx came after the New York City Council (NYCC) on Monday voted to reject the proposed land-use changes.
Chief instigator, Republican Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato, took to X with an image of a press release stating she led a “hard-fought bipartisan effort” to vote down the Bally’s bid:
Crain’s New York Business on Monday also cited Marmorato, who said Bally’s “came to the table a little too late, with promises too vague and a process too flawed to rebuild the trust that was already lost in our community.”
The NYCC sided with Marmorato 29-9 in an outcome Bally’s Chairman and CEO Soo Kim branded “incredibly disappointing.”
Opposite reactions
Crains politics reporter Nick Garber bolstered Bally’s disappointment, stating the Long Island-based firm’s NY bid was “effectively killed by the City Council.”
It’s sort of nutty.”
Garber took to X to share Kim’s dismay, the CEO stating Bally’s “had met the council member’s ask.” Kim added: “It’s sort of nutty.”
Nutty or not, Bally’s rejection leaves the field down to seven bidders. Las Vegas Sands pulled out the race in April citing concerns about online casinos launching in NY, with Saks exiting the same month citing “other strategic priorities.”
Fighting talk
According to Crains, Marmorato branded the Bally’s bid “not real economic development.”
“This is not housing, a hospital or community improvements. It’s a casino.”
Marmorato’s office stuck the blade in further in the press release, stating the councilwoman “stood with her community – despite pressure and last-minute offers” from Bally’s, to vote down its land-use changes.
“If I make a promise to my community, I follow through” Marmorato said in a statement that referred to the Bally’s rezoning proposal in her district as “a predatory development.”
