Amid a fierce battle for casino licenses in New York City, comes a twist: the possibility that President Trump could end up with a $115 million windfall. The AP explains the battle is on for gaming licenses that would grant the right to construct the first full-service casino in New York City and its adjacent suburbs. Three such licenses were approved for the downstate area in 2023, reports AM New York. The contenders include some marquee names, including Caesars Palace, which envisions a Times Square location; Saks Fifth Avenue, which wants to put a casino at the top of its luxe Manhattan store; and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who would like to see a casino go up next to the team's Queens stadium.
Also on this list is Bally's Corp., and this is where the Trump angle comes in. It aims to open a casino at a former Trump-managed golf course in the Bronx. Bally's scooped up the operational rights to the Ferry Point course in 2023 for $60 million, and in what the AP calls a "little-noticed side deal," Bally's agreed to fork over an additional $115 million if it secured a casino license for the site. The deal surfaced in a letter that was submitted as evidence in the suit brought against him by New York state Attorney General Letitia James.
Applications, which the New York Times reports are due in June, will first be reviewed by a community advisory committee that's tasked with figuring out local support or opposition for the plan. The state's gaming board will make the final call and plans to award licenses by year's end. The federal government has no role in the process. Trump secured the rights to manage Ferry Point in 2012. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course was built by the city at a cost of $120 million. It hoped it would become an East Coast equivalent to California's Pebble Beach and host major championships, but that never quite panned out.
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As for gambling in the region, only video lottery terminal betting is currently allowed. It's available at Resorts World New York City Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack and MGM Empire City at Yonkers Raceway; they're both also in the running for the licenses. AM New York reports they "appear to be favorites for winning two of the three" licenses, as they have a decade of operational success and likely wouldn't draw local resistance. (See a detailed list of all the proposals here.) (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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