Bally's Corporation
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Bally's Corporation is an American
gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...
, betting, and interactive entertainment company headquartered in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
. In the US it operates 19
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
s across 11 states, a horse track in Colorado, a golf course in New York, and online sports betting operations in 14 states.Lou Monaco
"Bally's Rebrands Kansas City Casino, Expansion Planned,"
Top US Casinos, April 3, 2021.
The company was founded in 2004 as BLB Investors. It eventually changed its name to Twin River Worldwide Holdings. In 2020, the company acquired the rights to the Bally's brand from Caesars Entertainment and changed its own name to Bally's Corporation.


History

Bally's originated as BLB Investors. BLB was formed in 2004, as a joint venture between Starwood Capital Group, Kerzner International, and the Waterford Group for the purpose of launching a bid to acquire Wembley plc. Wembley was a British operator of racetracks in the United Kingdom and the United States, whose primary asset was Lincoln Park, a greyhound track and slot machine parlor in Rhode Island. BLB reached a deal in February 2005, agreeing to pay $435 million for Lincoln Park, plus $20 million for Wembley's other U.S. properties, comprising a horse track ( Arapahoe Park) and three greyhound tracks in Colorado. The purchase closed in July 2005. BLB undertook a $220-million expansion of Lincoln Park and, in 2007, renamed it Twin River. By 2008, as a result of the global economic recession, BLB was struggling financially and began defaulting on loans related to the purchase and renovation of Twin River. In June 2009, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a prepackaged plan to hand over ownership to its creditors. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, now owned by a syndicate of lenders led by
Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...
,
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
, and Sankaty Advisors. In 2011, the company changed its name to Twin River Worldwide Holdings. In Colorado, the company's three dog racing tracks closed as interest in the sport declined, and all three had been sold off by 2011.


Land-based gambling expansion

In 2014, Twin River bought the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi in Mississippi from Leucadia National for $250 million. The acquisition was made to diversify the company geographically, in preparation for expected competition from Massachusetts, which had legalized casinos in 2011. In 2015, Twin River purchased Rhode Island's only other casino, the Newport Grand, for $22 million, and announced plans to relocate its operations to a new facility to be built in Tiverton, Rhode Island. The Newport Grand closed in 2018, and its replacement, the $140-million Tiverton Casino Hotel, opened days later. In 2016, hedge fund
Standard General Standard General L.P. is an American hedge fund headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 2007 by Soohyung "Soo" Kim and Nicholas Singer with seed capital from Reservoir Capital Group. Since 2013, Soo Kim has been the Managing Partner and ...
took an ownership stake in Twin River, and its principal partner, Soo Kim, took a seat on the board. Kim went on to become Twin River's chairman in 2019, and began leading the company through a rapid expansion. In March 2019, Twin River completed a
reverse merger A reverse takeover (RTO), reverse merger, or reverse IPO is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public. Sometimes, conversely, the public compa ...
with Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, the parent company of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. The transaction made Twin River a
public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of share capital, stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) co ...
traded on the
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
and left Dover Downs shareholders with a 7 percent stake in the combined company. Twin River acquired seven casinos in 2020. Three casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado (the Golden Gates, Golden Gulch, and Mardi Gras) were purchased from Affinity Gaming for $51 million. Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City in Missouri and Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg in Mississippi were bought from Eldorado Resorts for $230 million. The Eldorado Shreveport casino hotel in Louisiana was acquired from Eldorado for $140 million. Bally's Atlantic City was purchased from Caesars Entertainment and
Vici Properties Vici Properties Inc. is an American real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino and entertainment properties, based in New York City. It was formed in 2017 as a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Corporation as part of its bankr ...
for $25 million. In October 2020, Twin River acquired the rights to the Bally's brand from Caesars for $20 million, in conjunction with the purchase of Bally's Atlantic City. At the time, Twin River said that it would rebrand "virtually all" of its properties under the Bally's name. In November 2020, the company changed its name to Bally's Corporation and its stock ticker symbol to BALY. Days later, In 2021, Bally's separately acquired three casinos ( MontBleu in Nevada, Jumer's Casino & Hotel in Illinois, and
Tropicana Evansville Bally's Evansville is a casino hotel and entertainment complex in downtown Evansville, Indiana, United States, owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Bally's Corporation. Originally named Casino Aztar, it was opened by Aztar Cor ...
in Indiana) for a total of $275 million. Meanwhile, the company reduced its real estate assets through sale-and-leaseback deals with Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) for the land and buildings of Dover Downs, Jumer's, and the three Black Hawk casinos, for a total sale of $294 million. Bally's also announced plans to co-develop a $120-million casino near
State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...
and to build a $650-million casino development in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
; these plans did not come to fruition, as the Richmond proposal was rejected by the city, and Bally's eventually withdrew from the State College project. In January 2022, Standard General moved to take full ownership of Bally's, offering to buy all outstanding shares in a transaction valuing the company at $2.07 billion. The board of directors rejected the offer in May. In May 2022, Bally's proposal for a $1.7-billion Bally's Chicago casino resort in the city's River West neighborhood was approved. It was projected to eventually account for one third of the company's gaming revenue. Bally's Chicago opened a temporary casino in September 2023 at the Medinah Temple. Phase 1 of the new, permanent facility is expected to open in 2026. In September 2022, Bally's purchased the buildings and operating business of the Tropicana Las Vegas from GLPI and Penn Entertainment for $148 million. Bally's plans to replace the Tropicana with a 3,000 room
integrated resort A casino hotel is an establishment consisting of a casino with temporary lodging provided in an on-premises hotel. Customers receive the benefits of both gambling facilities and lodging. Since the casino and hotel are located on the same premis ...
which will sit next to the New Las Vegas Stadium. In 2024, Bally's agreed to a new buyout offer by Standard General and merger with The Queen Casino & Entertainment, a gaming company owned by Standard General. The buyout valued the combined company at $4.6 billion, and gave existing stockholders the option to retain their shares. The merger would add four casinos to Bally's portfolio, as well as a 33% stake in Intralot. The transaction was completed in February 2025, leaving Standard General as the owner of a 74% stake in the company. In April 2025, Bally's agreed to an investment in Star Entertainment Group, a struggling Australian casino company. Bally's would lend $180 million to Star with an option to convert the debt into up to a 57% interest in the company. Star's three properties ( The Star, Sydney;
The Star Gold Coast The Star Gold Coast (formerly Jupiters Hotel and Casino) is an integrated resort located in the suburb of Broadbeach, Queensland, Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The casino, which was Queensland's ...
; and The Star Brisbane) would represent Bally's first land-based casinos outside the United States.


Interactive gambling expansion

In November 2020, Bally's entered into a long-term media partnership with
Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair, Inc., doing business as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb o ...
, which would include the rebranding of its
Fox Sports Networks Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by the Walt Disney Company on M ...
regional sports networks under the Bally brand in a 10-year deal, and integration of Bally's content into its sports properties. The agreement included warrants that would allow Sinclair to acquire up to a 14.9% stake in Bally's, and increase its stake to up to 24.9% if performance criteria are met. The nineteen regional sports networks were rebranded as Bally Sports in March 2021. In 2021, Bally's made several acquisitions to expand its online gaming and sports betting business. In February, it acquired SportCaller, a provider of free-to-play online games. The next month, the company acquired Monkey Knife Fight, the third-largest daily fantasy sports operator in the U.S., for up to $90 million in stock. In June, Bally's acquired the sports betting platform Bet.Works for $125 million.Derek Helling
"Bally’s Corp. Making Moves To Compete In Sports Betting Industry Nationwide,"
NJ Gambling Sites, November 27, 2020.
Todd Shriber
"Bally’s Brand Heading to Sinclair Sports Networks, Gaming Company Buying Bet.Works for $125 Million,"
Casino.org, November 18, 2020.
In July, it acquired the Association of Volleyball Professionals. In October, it acquired Gamesys Group, a British online gambling company, for $2.7 billion,. By acquiring Gamesys, Bally's became the online casino and bingo operator for six UK-based platforms. These are Virgin Games, Jackpotjoy, Monopoly Casino, Rainbow Riches Casino, Double Bubble Bingo, and Bally Casino. In 2023, Bally's launched Bally Live, a streaming sports video service. The service was rebranded to Bally Sports Live in March 2025. The app features live streaming from
Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
,
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
,
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The promotion was founded in April 2018, and is presided over by David Feldman. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official st ...
, Glory Kickboxing, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, and the Pro Fighters League. The service previously aired Major League Table Tennis, and the Pro Volleyball Federation.


Properties

The company operates nineteen casino properties, a standalone horse track, and a golf course: * Bally's Arapahoe Park
Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...
* Bally's Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
* Bally's Black HawkBlack Hawk, Colorado ** Bally's Black Hawk East ** Bally's Black Hawk North ** Bally's Black Hawk West * Bally's Chicago
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
(temporary casino; permanent facility planned to open in 2026) * Bally's Dover
Dover, Delaware Dover ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and the List of municipalities in Delaware, second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Delaware, Kent County and the princ ...
* Bally's Evansville
Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...
* Bally's Golf Links at Ferry Point
The Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...
* Bally's Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
* Bally's Lake Tahoe
Stateline, Nevada Stateline is a census-designated place (CDP) on the southeastern shore of Lake Tahoe in Douglas County, Nevada, Douglas County, Nevada, United States. It lies next to the border with California and is conurbated with South Lake Tahoe, California ...
*
Bally's Quad Cities Bally's Quad Cities, formerly Jumer's Casino & Hotel, is a casino hotel in Rock Island, Illinois, part of the Quad Cities area. It is owned and operated by Bally's Corporation. The casino has about of gaming space, with almost 800 slot machines ...
Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...
* Bally's Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
* Bally's TivertonTiverton, Rhode Island * Bally's Twin River LincolnLincoln, Rhode Island * Bally's VicksburgVicksburg, Mississippi * Belle of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
* Casino Queen MarquetteMarquette, Iowa * DraftKings at Casino QueenEast St. Louis, Illinois * Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...
* The Queen Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...


Former properties

* Tropicana Las Vegas
Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...
(closed and demolished in 2024)


Proposed properties

* Bally's Las Vegas
Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...
* Bally’s New York
The Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...
Breaking down every 2025 New York casino license bid
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See also

* List of integrated resorts * List of casino hotels


References


External links

*{{official website, https://www.ballys.com 2004 establishments in the United States American companies established in 2004 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 Gambling companies of the United States Companies based in Providence County, Rhode Island Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Entertainment companies of the United States Entertainment companies established in 2004