New York's casino sweepstakes could put $115M in Donald Trump's pocket
The Republican stands to win big if state officials award one of three available gaming licenses to Bally's Corp., which wants to open a casino at a city-owned golf course that used to be run by Trump's company.
In 2023, Bally's paid Trump $60 million for the rights to operate the public 18-hole course on the Bronx shoreline, near where the East River meets the Long Island Sound.
The gaming company promptly took down the massive 'Trump Links' sign that was, at one time, all but impossible to miss for drivers going the Whitestone Bridge, and renamed the course Bally's Golf Links at Ferry Point.
But under a little-noticed side deal, Bally's promised to pay Trump another $115 million if Bally's were to get a license to open a casino on site.
The letter disclosing that deal was included as an evidence exhibit in a trial over New York state's allegation that Trump habitually lied about the worth of his assets in financial statements given to banks. The letter says the $115 million payment would be nonrefundable and describes it as a 'gaming event fee.'
Bally's did not return requests for comment.
Trump's interest in Bally's project could be a wildcard in New York's casino sweepstakes.
At least 11 bidders have said they are competing for the right to build what would be the first, full-service casino in the city and its nearest suburbs.
The race has drawn in big players: Caesars Palace has a plan to build a casino in Times Square; the company that owns Saks Fifth Avenue wants to put a casino atop their luxury department store in Manhattan; and Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, is proposing a casino right outside the baseball team's home stadium in Queens.
Another two bidders are hoping to expand on existing operations. MGM Resorts wants to do a major upgrade of its existing Empire City 'racino,' located at a horse track in the suburb of Yonkers. The gaming company Genting wants to do a multibillion expansion of its Resorts World racino adjacent to the Aqueduct horse track in Queens. Those two gambling venues are now limited by law to slot machines and certain other machine-run games.
It is unclear how Trump's link to one of the bidders might affect the selection process.
Applications are supposed to be submitted to a state board by late June. First, they will be considered by community advisory committees made up of appointees of the governor, mayor and state and local officials. Their job will be to weigh any local support or opposition. The proposals then go back to the state's gaming board, which expects to award the licenses by the end of the year.
Applicants also have to get various zoning or land-use approvals depending on the location and scope of their projects. Bally's project is also expected to require the state Legislature to pass a bill allowing the company to build their casino on public parkland.
The federal government does not play any role in the state's casino license selection process. The Trump Organization did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
Trump remains highly unpopular among many public officials in New York who will be in a position to influence the process, and it is possible that antipathy could wind up being a handicap for Bally's bid.
There's also a chance someone might try to use Trump's financial interest as a bargaining chip.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has clashed with the Trump administration over immigration policy, federal funding for the city's subway system and a tolling program in Manhattan. The Trump administration is also trying to revive a plan to build a natural gas pipeline through New York that was halted in 2017 by state environmental regulators.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, meanwhile, has been under intense pressure to prove his political independence after the Justice Department moved to drop his corruption case so he could assist with the Trump administration's immigration agenda.
Trump, whose Trump Organization runs more than a dozen golf courses around the world, first acquired the rights to manage Ferry Point in 2012.
The city spent more than $120 million to build the Jack Nicklaus-designed course on an old landfill, envisioning an East Coast version of the famed Pebble Beach links in California and major championships that never materialized.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump to go on 'secret' night patrol alongside law enforcement and the military to watch his DC crime sweep in action
Donald Trump will go out to survey the streets of Washington, D.C. on Thursday. The president revealed that he will go out 'on patrol' with MPD and federal partners to observe their efforts to crack down on violent crime in the nation's capital. 'I'm going to be going out tonight, I'm going to keep it a secret. But I'm going to go,' Trump told Todd Starnes on his show Thursday. The president federalized D.C. this month in a safety and 'beautification' effort. Among the federal law enforcement assisting Metro Police are ICE and FBI agents. Additionally, a handful of states have sent in National Guard forces to help. 'Because I sent in people to stop crime, they said, 'he's a dictator,' Trump lamented. 'I'm going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police – and with the military, of course. We're going to do a job. The National Guard is great,' he said. This story is breaking and will be updated.
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Top Republican spectacularly QUITS Congress after drama with Trump and plots next big move
A top Republican who has been a thorn in the side of the MAGA agenda has announced his intention to leave Congress. Texas Congressman Chip Roy announced that he plans to depart Capitol Hill after four terms and seek the role of Texas state attorney general back home in the Lone Star state. His decision comes after he earned the wrath of Donald Trump for getting in the way of his MAGA agenda. In a media release announcing his latest move, Roy noted that 'watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home.' The deadly floods that raged through Texas earlier this summer claimed at least 135 lives, including the lives of over two dozen young girls and their counselors at the Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic. Roy also added in his media release that he wants to take his 'experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas.' The congressman previously worked under current Texas AG Ken Paxton, who is running in a messy primary for U.S. Senate against incumbent John Cornyn. Roy notably turned on his former boss when Paxton was accused of 'bribery, abuse of office, and other charges' back in 2020, then urging him to resign from office. During his time in Congress, Roy has at times not been afraid to buck members of his own political party, causing headaches for House Speaker Mike Johnson and even President Donald Trump. Roy, along with other members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, were holdouts on President Trump's $3.3 trillion tax and spending cut bill. They caused a scene threatening to tank Trump's 'one big, beautiful, bill' due to projected increases in the national debt tied to the package. Despite weeks of threats, he eventually folded and voted for the bill. Roy also caused a headache for Speaker Mike Johnson's re-election bid in January. He didn't want Johnson to be elected speaker again because he claimed he wasn't conservative enough to lead the Republicans. Again, he eventually got in line and backed Johnson's re-election. It's become somewhat of a pattern for Roy to threaten to go against GOP leadership on key priorities, but then eventually fold and support. And it hasn't gone unnoticed by Trump, who has called him out publicly. Back in December of 2024, Trump accused Roy of 'getting in the way' of his agenda, and called for Roy to face a primary challenger for his congressional seat. Despite Roy's tough track record with GOP leadership, other lawmakers on Capitol Hill took time Thursday to congratulate Roy on his achievements during his time in Washington. Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett was one of Roy's colleagues to weigh in on the Texans' decision, posting on X that he hates to lose his friend in Congress, despite the desire to sometimes 'pinch his ears', adding that he 'will miss him.' Utah Senator Mike Lee posted on X that there is 'no more fearless and respected conservative in Congress than @chiproytx' adding that he 'wholeheartedly' endorses Roy in 'his campaign for Texas Attorney General' and that 'Chip has delivered for Trump in Congress.' In 2023, Chip Roy endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president before he had even announced a formal bid for the office. At the time, Roy noted that the 'next President of the United States must be a vibrant and energetic leader with the faith, vision, and courage to chart a new course.' Roy is one of several high-profile members of the House Freedom Caucus to announce decisions to seek other offices, mainly in their home states. Rep. Ralph Norman announced a run for South Carolina governor last month, Rep. Andy Biggs will be seeking the same office in Arizona, and Rep. Byron Donalds is running to be governor of Florida.
Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
US to rule on biofuel waivers, but big oil refiners may need to wait, sources say
Aug 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration is expected to rule on a growing backlog of requests from small oil refiners seeking relief from U.S. biofuel laws as early as Friday, but will delay a decision on whether larger refiners must compensate by boosting their own biofuel blending, according to two sources familiar with the planning. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday will announce decisions on some of the 195 pending small refinery exemption requests that date back as far as 2016, the sources said. The rulings will not be a sweeping win for small refiners, and will include some partial denials of waivers, according to one of the sources briefed on the decisions. The administration is also expected to issue a supplemental rule as early as next week to seek public comment on whether larger refiners should make up for the exempted gallons in a process known as reallocation, the source said. How the administration deals with exemption requests and the reallocation issues will have consequences for the oil and agricultural industries, and impact the price of commodities from gasoline and renewable diesel to soybeans and corn, along with the companies that produce them. In the past, widespread exemptions without reallocation have sent renewable blending credit prices lower, denting prices for corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biofuel. The EPA and White House did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard requires refiners to blend biofuels like ethanol into the fuel pool or by the tradable credits, known as RINs, from refiners who do. Small refiners can petition the EPA to receive an exemption if they can show financial hardship. The EPA has a mounting backlog of such requests going back years - the result of political indecision and legal wrangling across multiple administrations. Both the agriculture and the oil industries are keen for resolution. Granting exemptions without forcing other refiners to make up the difference increases the supply of credits and puts downward pressure on their prices. Farm and biofuel groups have lobbied the EPA to limit the number of exemptions and to force other refiners to make up for exempted gallons. The oil industry is strongly opposed to reallocation, arguing it creates an uneven playing field and imposes burdensome regulatory costs. The EPA said earlier this year that it would force larger refiners to make up for future exempted gallons, but was silent on how it would treat exempt gallons from the dozens of backlogged requests. The supplemental rule will include various options in a bid to test how the market may respond, the sources said.
