Golf and gambling have never been high on New York City\u2019s long list of attractions.<\/p>\n
Now those two pursuits are destined to draw visitors to the same Big Apple property.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the New York Gaming Commission awarded<\/a> a gaming license to Bally\u2019s to build a casino-hotel in Ferry Point Park<\/a> in the Bronx, a city-owned site that is home to a Jack Nicklaus<\/a>-designed links-style course formerly operated by President Donald Trump\u2019s company. (The commission also approved two other casino-project proposals, both in Queens: Metropolitan Park next to Citi Field and further development of Resorts World in South Ozone Park.)<\/p>\n The Bally\u2019s development will be of particular interest to golfers given the now-approved $4 billion gaming and hospitality complex will loom over the southern end of the course. Plans call for a casino, 23-story hotel with 500 rooms, convention and event center, and retail space.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the junction of the structure\u2019s three wings is a curvilinear sky bridge topped with an expansive landscaped terrace, and additional green roofs are shown covering the rest of the stepped setbacks,\u201d New York YIMBY reported in July<\/a>. \u201cWinding walkways and a redesigned vehicular entrance on the northern end of the property are also visible.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferry Point, which sits in the shadows of the Whitestone Bridge, is known for its New York City skyline views and rolling, fescue-lined fairways that you\u2019d sooner expect to find in Bandon than the Bronx. In 2022, the property was the site<\/a> of the Aramco Team Series, a Saudi-funded Ladies European Tour event, which was won by Lexi Thompson. <\/p>\n The course was first green-lighted in 2000 by then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, with the goal of opening in 2003. But environmental setbacks and a ballooning budget hampered development. After years of mismanagement, the city, in 2012, awarded a 20-year operating license to the Trump Organization. The course opened three years later.<\/p>\n In 2021, in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump\u2019s connection to Ferry Point became a flash point for many New Yorkers, leading then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio to terminate the Trump Organization\u2019s contract \u2014\u00a0a decision a judge overruled, returning the contract to Trump. In September 2023, Bally\u2019s paid the Trump Organization $60 million to take over the license to the site, a deal that extends through 2035.\u00a0By January 2024, the property had been renamed the Bally\u2019s Golf Links at Ferry Point. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is another step in making the Bronx become a global destination,\u201d Deputy Borough President Janet Peguero said at the time.<\/p>\n The casino-license approval unlocks another payout for the Trump Organization. According the New York Times<\/a>, the original purchase agreement between Bally\u2019s and the Trump Organization stated that if a gaming license were to be approved after the sale date, Bally\u2019s would have to pay Trump\u2019s company an additional $115 million.<\/p>\n