Bronx casino vote in City Council still in flux

The fate of a crucial vote for a casino proposal in the Bronx is still in flux on the eve of the City Council’s last chance to pass a “home rule” message that would allow the proposal to advance.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the agenda for Wednesday’s Government Operations Committee meeting had still yet to be announced. Multiple sources familiar with the negotiations (and granted anonymity to speak candidly about them) said that the votes were not yet there to pass a home rule message on the proposal from the Bally’s Corp. City Council Member Kristy Marmorato, whose Bronx district includes the Ferry Point area where the proposed casino would go, declined to comment. Council Member Lincoln Restler, who chairs the Committee on Governmental Operations that the home rule message would first have to pass through, did not immediately respond to outreach.

The home rule message is essential to the viability of the Bally’s project. That would give the state Legislature the local approval it needs to pass a bill allowing for a casino complex to potentially be built on state parkland, should Bally’s be awarded a license. But Wednesday is effectively Bally’s last chance. The so-called parkland alienation bill would need to pass before the state legislative session ends in the coming days, and the City Council is not currently scheduled to hold another stated meeting in that time. 

Some Bronx Council members want to see the Bally’s have a chance to compete for a casino license. Marmorato has not publicly weighed in on the casino proposal lately, but she said soon after she was elected that she was opposed to a casino in the area. Though the situation is still in flux, skepticism of casinos and an interest in member deference may be contributing to members’ reticence to back the home rule message, a council source said.

The New York Post reported late last month that a vote on the home rule message was delayed, with Bally’s chairman blaming rival casino bidders on driving “anti-Trump sentiment.” Bally’s took over the golf course at Ferry Point from the Trump Organization in 2023, and the president’s company would benefit from an extra $115 million if Bally's wins the casino license.

Members of the Governmental Operations Committee did not have much more information on where the home rule message vote stood Tuesday afternoon, though Council Member Gale Brewer noted she’s received “many phone calls today.”

In addition to passing in committee, rule messages require a two-thirds majority to pass in the full council (barring a message in support from the mayor). 

With applications for the three full downstate casino licenses due June 27, and the state Gaming Commission looking for applicants’ outstanding land use issues to be put to rest by the time they submit, the council’s vote – or lack thereof – will effectively determine the project’s fate. 

Should it be taken up at the Capitol, the Bally’s parkland alienation bill would be the second one voted on this session. The state Senate approved legislation related to Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Citi Field-adjacent casino pitch at the end of May, allowing for the proposed entertainment and gaming complex to be built on the stadium parking lot, which is legally parkland. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, whose district covers the majority of the site, opted last year not to introduce alienation legislation. This spring, state Sen. John Liu introduced the bill instead in exchange for a pedestrian bridge connecting Willets Point and downtown Flushing, sidestepping Ramos in the process. The bill passed both chambers, but is still awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.