Soo Kim has been Chairman of Bally's Corporation since 2019 but his influence over the company's direction stretches back further and today extends across a portfolio spanning Rhode Island to Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Australia.
Kim's path to the top of Bally's runs through Wall Street rather than the casino floor. Originally born in Seoul, Kim was a graduate of Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. He began his career as an Analyst in the Capital Management Group at Bankers Trust Company between 1997 and 1999, before moving into special situations investing at Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he also co-founded the firm's fixed-income business.
Building an investment career
Kim co-founded Cyrus Capital Partners, before founding Standard General in 2007, the New York investment firm where he remains Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer.
Standard General takes a private equity-style approach to investing in public companies, and it was through this lens that Kim first became involved with Bally's, then a smaller regional operator, joining as an Independent Director in 2016 before being named Chairman in 2019.
Alongside his gaming interests, Kim has served on the boards of Greektown Superholdings, Media General and ALST Casino Holdco.
Steering Bally's expansion
Having served as an independent Board Director since 2016, Kim’s operational relationship with Bally’s is long-standing and saw him earn his current position as Chairman of the Board after some years. Under Kim's chairmanship, Bally's has grown from a modest land-based operator into a multi-national industry innovator, spanning 20 casinos across 11 US states, alongside a property in Newcastle, UK, developable land in Las Vegas and casino resort licenses in both Chicago and New York City.
Indeed, the operator completed its Tropicana Las Vegas takeover in September 2022. The same year Bally Bet became an official sports betting partner of the MLB World Series, marking Bally's first sports betting agreement in New York.
Kim has also pushed the company deeper into digital gaming. Bally's launched its proprietary Bally Casino platform in Rhode Island in 2024, establishing the state's first and only legal online casino, while expanding its iGaming footprint into New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ontario.
The BallyBet sportsbook is now active in 11 states, and the company's North America Interactive revenue grew 12.5% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2025.
Chicago and the Bronx
Two of Bally's biggest projects have also become two of its most scrutinized. In Chicago, Kim has overseen the development of a permanent casino resort at 777 West Chicago Avenue, expected to draw 4.5 million annual admissions once complete.
However, the project hit turbulence in August 2026, when Bally's suspended construction on the site's non-gaming components amid a dispute with city officials over video gaming terminal legislation.
Kim addressed shareholders directly, calling the property a "gamechanger" for the city and disputing "inaccurate reports" that construction had stalled over the VGT disagreement, though a group of Chicago alderpersons pushed back, arguing the pause could affect union jobs, local economic activity and the terms of the city's Host Community Agreement.
Under Kim’s tenure, in New York, Bally's secured $560m in financing in September 2026 to advance its Bronx casino and resort development, with Kim citing the deal as key to keeping the project on schedule. The significance of this licence cannot be understated, as there has never before been a casino development within the five boroughs of New York City. Bally’s is set to break new ground alongside two other developments as the first ever registered and regulated land-based casino developments in the city.
Bally’s is also currently developing a new site in Las Vegas, which is expected to debut in 2029 – featuring approximately 100,000 sq ft of casino space and the future site of the Las Vegas A’s ballpark.
Expanding Down Under
Bally's international ambitions extended further in 2025, when the company led a $300m rescue package for Australia's The Star Entertainment.
The deal, completed alongside partner Investment Holdings, handed the pair a controlling stake of nearly 61% in the operator, with Kim and Bally's President George Papanier taking board seats previously held by Anne Ward and Deborah Page.
A significant investment into a historically non-compliant entity that has struggled to turn over positive financial figures for some years was a risk met with some skepticism. Despite Kim’s track record of rescuing flailing entities, updates from more recent months have shed light on Bally’s financial struggles. The company’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing highlighted troubling trends pertaining to the operator’s liquidity, causing share price to drop 37% between January and September 2026.
Recognition and philanthropy
Kim's standing in the industry was recognized at the Global Gaming Awards in 2021, where he won American Executive of the Year, while Bally's Interactive was nominated for Digital Operator of the Year in 2025.
Kim sat down with Global Gaming Insider at ICE 2026 to discuss the power of player data, the latest in lottery and to give his two cents on the future of the UK market following significant tax rises in the nation.
Beyond gaming, Kim has also received an Excellence in Philanthropy Award from PISTE, a community fencing programme supporting young athletes.
Soo Kim’s father emigrated from Seoul to the US to study medicine, bringing his family to Queens, New York City, where Kim grew up, in the late 1970s after he completed his studies