Bronx Community Board Says ‘No’ to Bally’s Casino

• Bronx Community Board 10 rejects zoning changes
• Bally’s still committed to bringing casino to the Bronx

In a contentious Thursday meeting, Bronx Community Board 10 easily voted against zoning changes needed for Bally’s to bring a casino hotel to Ferry Point, but the company remains undeterred in its quest to bring a gaming venue to the New York borough.

There’s a silver lining for Bally’s and its Bronx ambitions because the community board vote isn’t binding. It’s merely advisory, meaning it can be taken into account by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. She’s the next stop in the Uniform Land-Use Reform Process (ULURP) process for the Bronx casino pitch. From there, it would go to the Department of City Planning and City Council and potentially, the mayor.

Bally’s Still Betting on the Bronx

Despite the community board vote, Bally’s made clear it still wants to bring a casino hotel to the Bronx.

We appreciate having had the opportunity to participate in last night’s Community Board 10 meeting and remain grateful for the chance to be part of this important local process,” said Standard General found Soo Kim in a statement provided to The Bronx Times. “While we acknowledge the Board’s advisory vote, our commitment to the Bronx remains unwavering.”

Kim is the founder of Standard General, the hedge fund that recently acquired Bally’s. Community Board 10’s decision arrived just days after the gaming company said a casino in the Bronx could deliver up to $625 million in direct economic benefit to local residents and as the operator floated the idea of allowing locals to become equity investors in the property, should it come to life.

Still, there’s a long road for Bally’s in the Bronx because the land on which it hopes to build a casino is classified as parkland, meaning politicians in Albany must introduce legislation to alter that designation. As of yet, lawmakers representing the Ferry Point/Throngs Neck area have not indicated they’ll introduce such bills. If anything, they’ve vocalized opposition to the idea.

Community Board Votes Exercises in Democracy

Bronx Community Board 10 becomes at least the third such political body in New York City to vote against a casino plan. Those votes and the related meetings are important parts of the democratic process, particularly when it comes to complying with the state’s open meetings laws, but it remains to be seen how those tallies affect the process of awarding the three downstate casino permits.

However, the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board is not obligated to follow community board votes. The board is tasked with evaluating viable downstate locations for casino hotels and passing those recommendations onto the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), which has final say on the matter.

That process is expected to ramp up over the course of this year in the hopes of awarding the three licenses before the end of 2025 or in early 2026.