Bally’s Corporation Sets Free Shuttle Bus Service in The Bronx

Article ByDavid Weir

September 19, 2023

Spread the Word:

Posted in: New York Gambling News, US Casino News, US Gambling News

Bally’s Corporation is set to launch a free New York City shuttle bus service starting October 1, aimed at connecting residents of the East Bronx neighborhood to the Throggs Neck ferry landing.

This move comes after Bally’s recent acquisition of the nearby former Trump Golf Links Ferry Point for an undisclosed fee. The Rhode Island-based casino operator is planning to add to the list of New York casinos with a multibillion resort on the location of the current golf course clubhouse.

The shuttle service is part of Bally’s broader strategy to secure a downstate casino license for the project in a competitive field.

As well as promoting and connecting to Bally’s new golf course and potential casino, the shuttle will also help New York City residents access Throggs Neck ferry landing. It is currently considered out-of-the-way and notoriously difficult to access without a car.

“It’s called the Links at Ferry Point, right? So I think making use of the ferry is actually pretty critical as part of our being responsive to the community,” Bally’s Chair Soohyung “Soo” Kim told the Bronx Times.

Bally’s Wants to be Good Neighbors

The 20-passenger, wheelchair-accessible bus will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday on an approximately 30-minute loop. It will have 10 stops, including seven along East Tremont Avenue, connecting Throggs Neck with the Westchester Square subway stop, and two along the Hutchinson River Parkway. The service is free, whether or not passengers plan to patronize the golf course.

The new transit option is seen as a win-win for Bally’s and the Throggs Neck community.

“There is a multitude of people that don’t even know where the ferry is, doesn’t even know it exists, and that’s because there was no way of people getting there,” said Bob Jaen, the executive director of the Throggs Neck Business Improvement District.

The shuttle service had previously been a local effort, largely the brainchild of Jaen, but one that had not secured adequate funding. With Bally’s having just spent millions on a golf course, and potentially billions more on a casino project if given a license, the cost of a bus service will be considered well worth the good PR from the move.

The shuttle service is fully funded by Bally’s. There’s no end date for the service.

“We are here to be a good neighbor, and hopefully we’ll be appreciated for being a good neighbor,” Kim said.

Bally’s will be aiming for political goodwill from its attempt to address longstanding transit issues in the East Bronx by making the city’s newest ferry stop more accessible to residents. They hope that will manifest when it comes to voting on which bidding team will get a downstate New York casino license.

Related: Our guide to the best New York online casinos

Licence Potential Gearing Up

Bally’s is one of a dozen operators competing for what was presumed to be one of three upcoming licenses from the New York Gaming Commission.

However, the two existing New York City racing casino operators who were considered shoo-ins for a license have been involved in a large scandal this week. One that could turn regulatory opinion against them.

The controversy centers around former MGM Resorts president Scott Sibella, who was fired from his most recent CEO position at Resorts World Las Vegas for violating company policy. The news came just weeks after the announcement of a federal investigation into higher-up Las Vegas casino management over links to an illegal betting ring.

The illegal operation, headed up by former California minor league baseball player Wayne Nix, was busted in 2022 after operating for ten years. Nix is facing eight years in prison, as is his accountant and several others.

The new developments suggest Sibella may have been working with Nix on the ‘book, or at least turning a blind eye, during his eight-year tenure at MGM, and potentially, Resorts World.

The fact that Resorts World has fired Sibella as soon as the potential links came to light looks better for them than MGM.

However, any association with allegations of illegal gambling at a high level could see public and regulatory opinion turn against both operators. MGM also suffered a serious cyberattack last week, from which it is still not fully recovered.

If the previously considered locked-in license situation does change after these developments, Bally’s and the field of competing projects will be ready to step in. Caesars Entertainment and Jay-Z’s Times Square project, Las Vegas Sands in Nassau County and Wynn Resorts in the Hudson Yards district, are all big players with multibillion dollar plans on the line.