As Bally’s casino bid advances, The Coney is officially dead

Bally’s Bronx got a green light from its community advisory council Monday in 5-1 vote, making the project one of the finalists being considered for three full downstate casino licenses. 

It’s the first ground-up proposal to advance to the state Gaming Commission, joining two CAC-approved “racinos” – Empire City in Yonkers and Resorts World in Queens – which would be expanding their existing operations. The final proposal, Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park plan, will be voted on Tuesday morning. 

Bally’s casino would be built on the site of the Ferry Point Park golf course that the company purchased from President Donald Trump in 2023; the land is currently city-owned, but Bally’s manages the property. Because of the terms of that purchase, Trump stands to gain $115 million if the project comes to fruition. 

The vote comes days after Politico New York reported that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, also worked as a consultant for Bally’s. The report alleged that Witkoff had discussed with Frank Carone – chair of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection campaign and close adviser, also a consultant on the Bally’s project – the possibility of Trump appointing Adams as an ambassador to Saudi Arabia. 

Bally’s Corp. Chair Soo Kim brushed off the idea that the connections amounted to anything serious, calling it a “conspiracy theory.”

“I understand that Politico has got to sell subscriptions,” Kim told reporters at Monday’s vote. “I kind of believe in Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation is the best one.” Adams spokesperson William Fowler said Politico’s story made "inaccurate insinuations.”

Adams, who went to great lengths to see the project get this far, announced Sunday he was ending his reelection bid. 

Bally’s faced opposition from its surrounding neighborhoods and a strong dissenting voice from Marmorato; the lone “no” vote Monday was cast by Bronx Republican City Council Member Kristy Marmorato’s appointee, Danielle Volpe. Electeds from other areas of the Bronx, though – including Assembly Member Amanda Septimo and City Council Members Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Kevin Riley – have thrown their support behind the project.  

The City Council initially sided with Marmorato in rejecting Bally’s land use application over the summer, but did not continue the fight after Mayor Eric Adams issued a veto. That, along with an earlier council vote to allow the casino to be built on parkland, marked a rare break with the legislative body’s tradition of member deference for land use proposals. And that vote only made it to the finish line after Adams stepped in, issuing a letter of support and lowering the threshold for the so-called “home rule message” to pass.  

Meanwhile, The Coney met its expected demise Monday afternoon, with a 4-2 CAC vote against advancing Thor Equities’ Coney Island proposal to the state Gaming Commission. 

The Coney had faced fierce grassroots opposition from residents and activists. Allegations of attendees being bribed to speak in favor of the development at public hearings added fuel to the fire.

City Council Member Justin Brannan, along with state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, announced their intention to vote against the plan last week, sinking the proposal. Thor Equities attempted to sweeten the deal after that with a significantly revised community agreement, including an extra $100 million to bring the community trust fund to $300 million and a promise to hire 30% local employees instead of their previous 9%, among other things. 

But it was too late to mend the soured relationship. “I think there was a trust deficit from Day One,” Brannan said.

The Coney’s saga might not be completely in the rearview – Crain’s New York Business reported that the developer’s team submitted a complaint to the state Gaming Commission alleging that CAC members had violated an Open Meetings Law by pledging to vote “no” in between public meetings. 

The state Gaming Commission has said it will award the coveted licenses by the end of the year.