Posted on: January 14, 2024, 05:00h.
Last updated on: January 14, 2024, 02:04h.
The golf course in the Bronx, NY that formerly bore the Trump name is officially “Bally Links,” named for the regional casino operator.
The change occurred Thursday and with that, the large sign that previously read “Trump Links” is no longer. Bally’s paid the Trump Organization — the former president’s business empire — $60 million to acquire the lease on Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx. That according to testimony given in a New York in November by his son, Donald Trump Jr.
Bally’s made good on its promise to pull the Trump name from the golf property and the sign removal was the last step in that process. Underscoring New York’s political leanings and the city’s disdain for the 45th president, Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) was among the dignitaries that attended the rebranding at the golf course. The city previously attempted to move Trump out of Ferry Point Links, though that effort proved unsuccessful.
The city and the Trump Organization reached a deal in 2015 to extend that lease by 20 years. In 2021, former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, attempted to terminate that pact, citing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol building in Washington, DC. No criminal court has found the 45th president guilty of January 6-related crimes, and in April 2022, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge ruled that de Blasio was wrong to scrap that agreement.
Bally’s Betting on Bronx Casino
Bally’s operates 17 casinos across nine states and it acquired the lease on the Bronx golf course in an effort to procure one of the three downstate gaming licenses New York regulators will eventually award.
Rumors regarding Bally’s mulling a New York casino hotel date back to at least 2021, and it’s one of nearly a dozen operators vying for those permits, which could be awarded in the second of this year or at some point in 2025.
Amid speculation that two of those licenses are essentially reserved for MGM Resorts International’s Empire City Casino in Yonkers and Genting’s Resorts World New York in Queens, tiers are emerging for potential winners of the other permit with industry observers speculating Caesars Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, and Wynn Resorts could be among the leaders.
On the other hand, Bally’s and several other contenders are believed to be in the longshot camp along with the likes of Hard Rock International and Mohegan Gaming. Rhode Island-based Bally’s has not commented on what’s plans are for the golf course should it not win one of three casino licenses.
Bronx Golf Course Part of Trump’s New York Divorce
While Donald Trump made a large part of his fortune and earned his celebrity status in New York, the former president’s home city hasn’t been hospitable to him in recent years.
To the delight of many in the left-leaning city, the Trump name has been stripped from several venues, including the Bronx golf course, it once adorned.
However, at least 10 commercial and residential properties, including the iconic Trump Tower, still bear the GOP frontrunner’s surname and the privately held Trump Organization maintains ownership of 16 properties in New York City.
