Mayor Adams nixes City Council action, puts Bally's Bronx casino bid back in play

With the stroke of a pen, Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday breathed new life into gaming giant Bally's bid to build a casino in the Bronx.

Citing the need for jobs and economic investment, the mayor vetoed the City Council’s decision earlier this month, which denied Bally’s a needed rezoning. The action effectively took Bally’s out of contention for one of three downstate gaming licenses being awarded by the state, in a protracted process largely playing out this year.

The “City Council’s disapproval of the Bally’s Bronx bid deprives the Bronx of the ability to even compete for a $4 billion private investment that would deliver 15,000 union construction jobs, 4,000 permanent union jobs, and more than $625 million in community benefits,” Adams said in a statement.

The mayor’s move means the Bronx may continue to vie in a closely watched process scheduled to culminate at the end of this year, including with proposals aimed at bringing major gaming sites to Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. It also keeps the Trump Organization, President Donald Trump's holding company, in contention for a big gain.

The Ferry Point Park site is currently home to a city-owned golf course, but Bally’s paid the Trump Organization $60 million for the lease, and if the casino proposal is approved, would shell out another $115 million to the company.

Adams has been under fire for his ties to the Trump administration, whose appointees declined to pursue corruption charges against the mayor. In April a federal judge suggested that the Department of Justice was using the mayor to advance the president’s immigration agenda. Elected under the Democratic banner in 2021, Adams is seeking reelection as an independent.

Council spokesperson Mara Davis criticized the mayor’s move, saying in a statement, “This administration’s hypocrisy and unethical conduct is well-documented and has been witnessed by all New Yorkers, so the mayor’s words have no credibility.”

She added that the Council would consider its next steps, including a possible override of the mayor’s veto. Davis noted that “Mayor Adams has issued the first and only land use veto during his tenure for a casino applicant, not housing.”

Bally’s did not immediately comment on the mayor’s veto, but it has said the project would “deliver a once-in-a-generation transformation for the Bronx,” with 500,000 square feet of gaming space.

The mayor’s statement said his veto ”will relevel the playing field and allow the Bronx to have a seat at the table, rather than give an unfair advantage to the other bidders and boroughs.”

Councilmember Kristy Marmorato, who represents the area in which the proposed casino is sited, could not immediately be reached.

In a July 14 statement issued after the Council voted down the casino proposal, Marmorato said the project “did not meet the standards her community deserves.”

This story was updated with additional information.