Bally’s Formally Rebrands Bronx Golf Course

After acquiring the lease for Trump Gold Links at Ferry Points in the Brox, Bally’s Corporation is now busy with rebranding. Last week, the company replaced a large Trump Links sign with the new one, Bally Links. The company got the property in the hope that it could obtain one of the three downstate casino licenses, and build a gaming resort on a portion of it.

A while back, the gambling leader agreed to acquire the lease on Trump Golf Links at Ferry Points from the Trump Organization. The rumoured amount of the deal is around US$60 million. This is based on testimony in November 2023 given by Donald Trump Jr. in a New York court. The replacement of the sign was the last step of the rebranding of the property.

Trump Links is No More

The ceremony of putting up the new sign was held last Thursday, and it saw the removal of Trump’s name from the gold property. New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams was among the notable figures who attended the rebranding of the venue. The city also previously tried to move the 45th president out of Ferry Point Links, but those attempts were unsuccessful.

Currently, Bally’s operates 17 gaming properties across nine states in the U.S. and the idea behind purchasing the golf course in the Bronx is the pursue a gaming license from the Empire State. The initial pitch was to assign 17 of the 300 acres on the property for a casino venue, with 10 being set aside for gaming operations and the other seven going for green space or housing for workers.

According to reports, the company’s casino project would provide 15,000 construction jobs, and more than 3,500 permanent, high-paying, union jobs with salaries starting from US$70,000, complemented by great benefits and retirement. Additionally, the firm has already laid the groundwork and has discussed the plan with local elected officials and civic leaders.

Competition is Strong

However, Bally’s will face some fierce competition in the battle for a full-scale commercial gaming license. Many believe that two of those licenses will be awarded to existing gaming venues, Resorts World New York City in Queens and Empire City Casino in Yonkers. This is due to being already up and running, and having plenty of community support behind them.

In addition to those two, plenty of other candidates have also emerged and have proposed lucrative bids to the state. Soloviev Group which also intends on pursuing a permit, announced that it has selected Mohegan Gaming as its casino partner for its bid. Also, Saratoga Holdings along with Thor Equities, the Chickasaw Nation and Legends Global Planning intend on bidding.

Another major candidate is the consortium of Caesars Entertainment, Roc Nation, and SL Green, as they wish to launch a Times Square casino in Manhattan. Just recently, their pitch was supported by two major property owners, Jamestown and Sherwood Equities. Along with them, Caesars Palace Times Square. SoHo Properties, the Moinian Group, and Wharton Properties have also backed the proposal.

Source: Shriber, Todd “Bally’s Name Officially Adorns Former Trump Golf Course in Bronx” Casino.org, January 14, 2024