NEW YORK — A bid to build a casino in the Bronx became the subject of dueling lobbying efforts Tuesday, hours ahead of Bally’s last shot to overcome a key hurdle in the City Council.
The proposal for a casino at the former Trump golf course at Ferry Point — now called Bally’s Golf Links — needs an added layer of approval from the state Legislature since the site is classified as public parkland. Before Albany lawmakers can take up that measure, the Council must pass a resolution permitting the move. Bally’s last shot to secure that so-called home rule message before the end of Albany’s legislative session is during the Council meeting Wednesday.
Cue the eleventh-hour drama.
As the Bronx bidder tried to whip votes in favor of the resolution, and over the objections of the local lawmaker representing the area, the team behind a competing casino bid backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen embarked on a lobbying effort of its own, according to several people familiar with the calls.
“Their large army of lobbyists is going very hard,” said one Council member familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to speak freely.
Council Member Kristy Marmorato, who represents the area, presents a major challenge for Bally’s: She is resisting its plans for a gaming facility in her district, according to people familiar with her position. That’s made the company’s effort to win over some of her fellow lawmakers more difficult, as they’d be breaching unwritten protocol by overriding a colleague on a local matter, the people said.
Marmorato did not return requests for comment.
Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Park — the name of Cohen’s proposed complex at Citi Field, which would include a casino — declined to comment.
Meanwhile, other Council members have expressed reservations that if Bally’s won a casino license, it would have to pay $115 million to the Trump Organization, per the companies’ purchase agreement reported by the New York Times.
Bally’s is one of eight bidders competing for one of three New York City-area casino licenses. The field has narrowed in recent months as other bidders — including Related Companies, which had planned a gaming facility at Hudson Yards — have scrapped casino plans amid political headwinds.
Late into Tuesday evening, the Council still lacked enough votes to approve the home rule for Bally’s, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. That could change by the time the Council is scheduled to vote on Wednesday, and Bally’s team was working Tuesday to turn around its fortunes. The state legislative session ends on Thursday, and casino applications are due to the state by June 27.
The home rule resolution would simply allow the state Legislature to act, rather than automatically guaranteeing the allowance of a casino on the site. Bally’s needs a separate city land use approval to compete in the state-led licensing process.
The Metropolitan Park proposal recently won its required state parkland measure, known as alienation, in Albany.
A Bally’s spokesperson did not return a request for comment on its competitor’s lobbying push.