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Bally’s Corporation is doing the Lord’s work. Or at least that’s how some members of a Bronx community feel about the casino operator’s role in rescuing the beloved Catholic all-girls Preston High School.

Just two months ago, barring something akin to divine intervention, Preston was slated for closure after its owner and operator Catholic non-profit The Sisters of the Divine Compassion board made its final decision after rejecting an earlier funding proposal from Bally’s.

That decision to close the school had raised an uproar in the community, which led to an outpouring of passionate activism from the community, national media coverage — including Preston alum Jennifer Lopez going on social media to support the #PrestonForever cause, and Katie Couric’s hair stylist, whose daughter was a junior at the high school. The support culminated in a public hearing held by New York Attorney General Leticia James with “teachers, students, parents, alumni, elected officials, and community members,” as a subsequent announcement would describe.

Their prayers were answered: in a compromise brokered by AG James, on 22 April, Bally’s announced that a subsidiary, The Bally’s Foundation, would purchase the real estate under the high school from The Sisters and would immediately lease it back to the school itself. Bally’s would also fund capital improvements and pay for legal and closing costs.

In the announcement, Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim, founder of hedge fund Standard General, which is Bally’s controlling shareholder, included a statement on behalf of the foundation:

“This agreement is about more than preserving a school—it’s about affirming the vital role that education, opportunity, and community play in shaping lives,” Kim said in the statement. “Our commitment to Preston is not about business—it’s about doing what’s right. Supporting institutions like this is central to our belief in being a trusted, long-term partner to the communities we serve.”

Pray to play

Bally’s has been planning to build a casino in the Bronx since 2023, when it bought the lease of a Trump Organization-run golf course located in the same neighborhood as Preston. The value of that transaction was revealed during court testimony in the case none other than AG James brought and won against Donald Trump. Bally's renamed the golf course Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point. If the company successfully gets a casino in the Bronx, the Trump Organization gets $115m.

In order to do that, however, Bally’s needs a number of things to happen. First, it needs a license: Bally's is one of 11 companies slated to apply for three available downstate casino licenses, expected to be awarded by the end of 2025. Applications are due in June.

Second, it will need to rezone the land it controls to allow for a casino, which would require two state legislators who represent Ferry Point and the Throggs Neck area to introduce and pass such a measure. Bally’s had done its best to court public opinion, pledging $625m in “community benefits” and shared ownership in the casino for members of the community.

Things didn’t start well: On 21 March the Bronx community board voted overwhelmingly against a proposal to rezone part of Ferry Point Park for a Bally’s casino complex, by a vote of 29 to 5.

Yet just ten days later, State Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto sponsored legislation that would reclassify the parkland for commercial use in order for the gambling and entertainment company’s casino bid to move forward. The casino project cannot proceed without the redesignation. The legislation authorizes New York City to discontinue the use as parkland and alienate certain land within Ferry Point Park through the entering of leases or other agreements with Bally's New York Operating Company.

It was at this time that Bally’s struck the deal to save the Bronx high school. Attorney General James’ announcement described the deal as comprising an $8.5m purchase from The Sisters and then leasing the property to Preston High School for $1 per year for the next 25 years, as well as an agreement to fund another $1m in capital improvements and pay up to $600,000 in legal and closing costs.

Fernandez and Benedetto provided proud statements.

“From the very beginning, when families and community members voiced their concerns about the possible closure of Preston High School, I made it a priority to listen and support them,” Fernandez says in the statement. “I’m truly grateful that Attorney General Letitia James took our concerns seriously and acted swiftly, resulting in an agreement to keep Preston open for years to come.”

Benedetto added in the same statement: “I’m thrilled at the news that an agreement has been reached to keep Preston High School open. This is a tremendous victory for the students, families, and the entire Throggs Neck community. I want to sincerely thank Attorney General Letitia James and her team for their steadfast commitment to protecting our schools and standing with Preston students during this critical moment.”