Bally’s responds to CAC amendments on $4 billion Bronx casino plan

Bally’s Corp, one of five remaining contenders for up to three downstate New York casino licenses, has submitted responses to amendments suggested by its Community Advisory Committee (CAC) as it seeks approval for a $4 billion resort at Ferry Point in the Bronx.

The bid has advanced while most rivals have stumbled. Three Manhattan projects, Freedom Plaza, Caesars Palace Times Square, and The Avenir, have failed to move forward, while a fourth proposal, The Coney, appears doomed after four CAC members publicly signaled opposition.

Bally’s faced controversy in the run-up to two mandated CAC hearings but won critical backing from Mayor Eric Adams, who twice helped the proposal survive procedural challenges. Adams vetoed a downvote on parkland alienation led by City Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato, who has been outspoken against the project. She clashed at the Sept. 9 hearing with Assemblymembers Amanda Septimo and Yudelka Tapia, who publicly backed Bally’s.

In its responses, Bally’s said some CAC amendments were not legally feasible. One called for the Community Benefit Fund Board to govern a proposed Bronx Conservancy or Trust, which Bally’s said it could not do because it “does not have ownership, control, or any decision-making authority over any non-licensed areas of the Ferry Point premises.”

The company rejected another amendment seeking at least $17.5 million or 1% of gross gaming revenue (GGR) at the time of licensure. Bally’s reaffirmed its pledge of “$12.5 million or 1% of GGR at the time of opening” while highlighting an additional “$12 million in annual benefits through the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA)” and an increase in its “public safety component” from $3 million to $5 million. Together, Bally’s said, those additions result in “$27.5 million in ongoing, annual support upon the opening of the project.”

Bally’s told the CAC it intends for 70% of its workforce to come from the Bronx, with its hiring strategy designed to “prioritize the Bronx community.” That would push New York state-based employment “well north of 70%,” the company said.

The operator also confirmed it had a “neutrality agreement with the New York Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO,” rather than a formal peace labor agreement.

Bally’s has included $3 million in its CBA for shuttle services and the Soundview ferry route, though it noted it does not control ferry operations. The company said it is looking to expand shuttle stops into Ferry Point Park and at the resort site and is in talks with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend bus service.