There are over 12 bidders for the New York casino license. Each of these is prepping, hoping to bag one of the licenses. One of the things the bidders are doing is partnering with developers or firms with land where casino structures can stand.
Bally’s is doing the same. The Rhode Island-based casino operator is rumored to be buying Trump Golf Links. The golf course is in the Bronx, NY, at Ferry Point. Bally’s is buying the land from the Trump Organization, the firm controlled by the family of the former U.S. President, Donald Trump.
The New York Post was the first to report the news. The published post indicated that Bally’s was purchasing the lease with New York City. The transaction is predicted to be tens of millions of dollars.
New York City extended the lease deal for the Trump Organization in 2015 by 20 years. However, following the riot at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, some things changed. For instance, the New York Mayor at that time, Bill de Blasio, attempted to end the extended lease.
Yet, no court has yet to find the former president guilty of the January 6 crimes. In fact, even the Manhattan Supreme Court judge declared that Blasio was wrong to end the lease agreement.
Still, the initial end date of the lease is not reflected on the New York City Comptroller’s website. The details on the site show the Trump Organization’s lease ends on September 21, 2023. This could imply that the lease has gone to a new holder, even though Bally’s is not mentioned on the Comptroller’s site.
Bronx Is Happy with the Change
One of the people happy with the change is the New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. He could not help but express his delight about the removal of the Trump name from the Trump Links land.
Lander told the New York Post that he was happy that the name Trump would no longer deface the city parkland. Meanwhile, the New York Parks Department was more subtle. The department said it was in favor of the lease transfer and hoped that the new leaseholder would give an exceptional golfing experience.
It is not yet confirmed that Bally’s is the new leaseholder. However, it is expected the casino operator will rebrand the land to Bally’s Links from Trump Links.
Will Bally’s Venture into Golf?
It is unlikely that Bally’s bought the Trump links to run the golf course. The most probable reason is that the casino operator will build a casino hotel on the property.
Bally’s has been interested in the New York casino license since 2021. At least, that is when the rumors started. There have been more bidders that have announced their interest in the license expected to be awarded in 2024.
It is still too early to predict the possible winner of the one license, especially with the speculations that two licenses will go to Empire City Casino Yonkers for MGM and Resorts World New York in Queens.
