# Bally's Chicago

Bally's Chicago is a casino and entertainment venue temporarily located in the Medinah Temple Building, and a planned casino resort that will be built on the North Branch of the Chicago River in Chicago. In May 2022, then Mayor Lori Lightfoot approved Bally's Corporation's bid to construct a casino complex in the city. The complex will be in the city's River West neighborhood, near Grand Avenue, Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. The plan was approved by the Chicago City Council in May 2022, and a State of Illinois gambling licence was issued in 2023. The resort began construction in 2024, and is expected to open in 2026. Demolition of the old structures on site began in August 2024.

## Background

In the 2019 mayoral election, the topic of constructing a casino in the city was a main subject to then-mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle with both signaling their approval for the project. The prospect of a casino location in Chicago predated the election with Illinois overseeing construction of gambling locations in areas outside of Chicago.
Legislation expanding gambling in Illinois was passed by the state legislature at the start of June 2019 and signed by Governor J. B. Pritzker. However this bill did not approve the construction of a casino. Shortly afterwards, Lightfoot announced that the city would commence the study of where a Chicago casino would be located. Lightfoot's predecessors had long sought to obtain a casino for the city.
In November 2019 a gaming bill proposed by Pritzker failed to be passed in the Illinois Legislature due to a veto session. Lightfoot cited that the bill's failed proposal would not impact the construction plans, however cited that the casino's potential revenue would greatly impact the city's budget and capital bill. She continued to push, however, for the state to authorize a casino jointly owned by the city and state and with a lesser effective tax rate than the passed legislation specified. The goal for a casino construction was to establish a $200 million in annual tax revenue from the casino to fund police and firefighter pension funds.

### Controversy

In 2025, Bally’s, the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois were sued for discrimination by two white plaintiffs from Texas. Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff claim that they are unable to invest in the project because of their race. The company announced a $250 million IPO but it was limited exclusively to women and minorities. The lawsuit is being supported by American Alliance for Equal Rights, which is known for its opposition to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

## Bidding process

In April 2021, Lightfoot announced the beginning of the bidding process for the city's "casino-resort". She stated that proposals must include plans for a 500-room hotel, meeting space, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
In November 2021, Lightfoot announced the city's top five bids for a Chicago casino. She set a public meeting for the proposals for December 16, 2021.
In March 2022, the three final bidding proposals were announced. The first was from Rush Street Gaming, which would cost US$1.62 billion and would be built between the South Loop and Chinatown along the Chicago River. The second was a US$1.74 billion proposal from the eventual chosen Bally's Corporation to build the casino and resort on the Chicago Tribune printing plant in the River West neighborhood. The final proposal was a $1.74 billion proposal from Hard Rock to build the casino and resort, across from Soldier Field.
On May 5, 2022, Lightfoot announced that she had selected the bid from the Bally's Corporation. The proposal needed city council approval and Illinois Gaming Board approval. Reaction to the casino selection was controversial with many residents living near the proposed site.

## Casino details

When the Bally's Corporation sought their bid, they proposed a $1.6 billion casino and resort, where the current Chicago Tribune Publishing Center is located. Bally's has the option to buy the 30-acre site. Bally Corporation and Community Investment Programs are record owners of the resort, and architects, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, will oversee the construction with several additional firms. Gensler architects will design the casino resort facilities and Solomon Cordwell will design the hotel.
The first phase of the process would cost $1 billion, which would include 2,700 slot machines, 95 table games, a suite-only hotel, with 100 suites. There would also be an outdoor music venue with space for 1,000 people. After having a 20% return on investment from phase 1, Bally's would have a $600 million expansion. There would be a total of 4,000 gaming seats with the expansion, a new 400 room hotel, a 3000 seat indoor venue, and a 20,000 sq ft exhibition space. The temporary casino is located at Medinah Temple at 600 N. Wabash Ave.
The permanent location will include a 3,000 seat theater, an extension of the Chicago Riverwalk,a pedestrian bridge, six restaurants, a food hall, and room for 3,400 slots and 173 game tables.

### Location

A casino location was proposed on the south street of McCormick Place near Lake Shore Drive. This proposal was rejected by the Chicago City Council in March 2022. The James R. Thompson Center was also discussed as a possible casino venue.
In May 2022, the location of the casino and resort was announced and would be located in the River West neighborhood. The temporary location opened on September 9, 2023, with the permanent location opening in 2026.