Bally's Chicago Opens 2026; Temp Casino Open Now!

Hotel (2026)

500-room hotel tower with a rooftop pool and rooftop bar.

Chicago Casino Proposals (History)

Five proposals to build a Chicago casino were submitted by the deadline date of Oct. 29, 2021.

There are two Bally's Chicago proposals and both are similar. One would be located at the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center and the other at McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard. The other applicants are Hard Rock Casino Hotel at One Central, Rivers Chicago at McCormick Place, and Rivers Chicago at The 78.

Here is a summary of each proposal:

Bally's in River West At Chicago Tribune Publishing Center

Bally's Chicago Casino at Chicago Tribune

This applicant is Bally's Corporation, a publicly traded company headquartered in Rhode Island. Bally's owns and manages fourteen casinos located in ten states. One of these casinos is Bally's Quad Cities in Rock Island, formerly Jumer's Casino & Hotel.

Cost: $1.8 billion

Location: Chicago Tribune Publishing Center
Bally's has an option to purchase this property located at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. The Tribune's current lease ends in June 2023. Bally's would build a temporary casino next to the Tribune, and when the lease expires, Bally's would demolish the property and build a permanent casino.

Casino: 3,400 slot machines and 173 table games

Restaurants: Six restaurants, a food hall, three bars and lounges

Hotel: 500 rooms

Entertainment: 70,000-square-foot entertainment center with 3,000 seats

Conventions: 20,000-square-foot exhibition space

Bally's Chicago At McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard

Bally's Chicago Casino at McCormick Place

Cost: $1.6 billion

Location : McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard
This is a 28-acre site south of McCormick Place at 31st Street and Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Casino: 3,400 slot machines and 173 table games

Restaurants: Six restaurants, a food hall, three bars and lounges

Hotel: 500 rooms

Entertainment: 70,000-square-foot entertainment center with 3,000 seat

Conventions: 20,000-square-foot exhibition space

Hard Rock

Hard Rock Chicago

This applicant is HR Chicago LLC, a partnership of Hard Rock International and other investors. Hard Rock International, which will manage the Chicago casino operations, is owned by the Seminole Indian Tribe in Florida.

Cost: $1.7 Billion

Location: One Central, a proposed development just west of Soldier Field.

Casino: 3,400 slots and 166 table games

Restaurants: Eight restaurant, a food hall, and six bars

Hotel: 500 rooms, Rock spa

Entertainment: Hard Rock Live with 3,500 seats

Other: Hard Rock will build temporary casino in McCormick Place's Lakeside Center. Hard Rock also wants train tracks built west of Soldier Field

Rivers Chicago at McCormick

Rivers Chicago at McCormic

This applicant is a partnership between Rush Street Gaming and Farpoint Development. Rush Street Gaming, headquatered in Chicago, owns four casinos, including Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, IL.

Cost: $1.3 billion

Location: Redevelopment of Lakeside Center at McCormick Place.

Casino: 2,600 slot machines and 190 table games

Restaurants: 12 restaurants, a food hall, and four bars. Additional bars at 7 of the restaurants.

Hotel: 2,900 existing hotel rooms

Entertainment: Arie Crown Theater will be renovated with 4,200 seats

Rivers Chicago at The 78

Rivers 78 Gaming Chicago

This applicant is a partnership between Rush Street Gaming and Related Midwest. Rush Street Gaming would manage the casino.

Cost: $2 Billion TBA

Location: The 78, a proposed 62-acre megadevelopment, would include this casino in an entertainment district on the north end at Roosevelt Road.

Casino: Up to 4,000 slot machines. Details TBA

Restaurants: Eight restaurants, a food hall and five bars

Hotel: 300 rooms

Entertainment: riverfront entertainment venue with rooftop space

Other: River dock would allow boats and water taxis to tranfer customers. A temporary casino would be established on a riverboat.

Chicago Casino Timeline

June 28, 2019
The Rebuild Illinois Act became law after its signing by Gov. Pritzker. The new law brings a vast expansion of gambling to Illinois including the licensing of new casinos in six cities. One of the cities designated for a casino is Chicago.

July 15, 2019
The Illinois Gaming Board was given 10 days to hire a private consulting company to research the market feasibility for a new casino in Chicago. Deadline July 15.

August 30, 2019
The findings of the consulting company were to be submitted in a report to the city within 45 days.

November 30, 2019
The city had 90 days to complete its review and submit its recommendation to the Illinois Gaming board for a final decision.

October 29, 2021
This date was the deadline for apprlicants to submit proposals for a Chicago casino. Five proposals were received. See proposals

Early 2022
Bally's in River West was selected by the Mayor and City Council in May 2022. Chicago officials have forwarded the Bally's casino proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board for vetting and final approval.

Mid-2022
The Illinois Gaming Board is expected to award the Chicago casino license to the winning applicant around mid-year 2022.

2023-2024
Construction of the Chicago casino will take 18-24 months to complete and followed soon afterwards with a grand opening.

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Five Chicago Casino Sites Were Considered

On July 17, 2021 Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the press there are five potential sites that may qualify for the first city casino. . All are on the south and west sides of Chicago.

Pershing Road and State Street
This location is near Guaranteed Rate Field, the baseball stadium of the White Sox. The area has the highest volume of vehicle traffic.

Michael Reese Hospital Area
This is near McCormick Place Convention Center and has the lowest neighborhood crime rate.

Harborside Area
This location at 111th Street and the Bishop Ford Freeway has the lowest population density and is closest to the Indiana casinos.

Roosevelt and Kostner

Former U.S. Steel Site
Location is 80th Street and Lake Shore Drive.

Chicago-Area Casino Market

The greater Chicago area currently has $2 billion in annual revenues ranking it the third city in the nation behind Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

There are currently five Illinois casinos and four Indiana casinos within proximity of Chicago. In the next few years there will also be additional Illinois casinos in Rockford, Waukegan, South Suburbs and Williamson County.

Illinois Casinos
Grand Victoria Casino - Elgin
Harrah's Joliet
Hollywood Casino Aurora
Hollywood Casino Joliet
Rivers Casino Des Plaines

Indiana Casinos
Ameristar East Chicago, IN
Blue Chip Casino & Hotel - Michigan City, IN
Horseshoe Casino - Hammond, IN
Majestic Star Casinos & Resort - Gary, IN

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News Articles

Bally's Chicago confirms late 2026 opening date

February 29, 2024

During corporate earnings meeting this month, Bally's confirmed its $1.7 million Chicago casino is still planned for opening in late 2026. The company also expressed pleasure with the 4th quarter revenue growth of its temporary casino at the Medinah Temple.

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Bally's lays out new plans for hotel on top of Chicago River North casino - Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago, Feb 9, 2024. Available from YouTube

Medinah Temple Temporary Casino
Bally's temporary Chicago casino opened September 9. Since then the casino has posted gaming revenues of $7.6 million in October-November, $8.5 million in December and $9.3 million in January. Bally's CEO Robeson Reeves described this as "robust growth".

Bally's Chicago Permanent Casino
The permanent Bally's Chicago will be built at the Freedom Center, the former site of the Chicago Tribune printing plant. Construction crews will begin work in late summer to perform demolition and complete site preparation during the second half of 2024.

"... we remain set to access the Chicago Tribune site late this summer, allowing for demolition and site preparation in the second half of 2024, with completion of the facility coming late in the third quarter of 2026."

- Bally's CEO Robeson Reeves

When finished, Bally's Chicago casino will feature feature 3,400 slots, 170 table games, and a sportsbook. The hotel will offer 500 guest rooms, a fitness center, a spa and a sun deck. Bally's Chicago will also have six restaurants, a food hall, and a 3,000-seat entertainment theater.

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Bally's Chicago temporary casino begins 24/7 operation today

December 27, 2023

Bally's temporary casino at Medinah Temple bagan 24/7 operations today Wednesday Dec. 27. Previous hours were 8 AM to 4 AM. The change followed approval by the Illinois Gaming Board.

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Bally's moving to 24/7 operation next week - Courtesy of WGN News, Dec 21, 2023. Available from YouTube

Gaming revenues at the casino have been disappointing since its opening. The total gross revenue through November was $22 million, which generated $2.2 million in tax revenue for the city. The original forecast for city tax revenues paid by the casino this year was expected to be near $12.8 million.

"Opening our doors 24/7 is an important step as we continue to increase our visitation. For November, we were the second most visited casino in the state, and we saw our highest guest admissions to date. This is a progression towards attaining the goals we set out to achieve and gives us similar hours to other local casino properties."

Mark Wong, GM Bally's Chicago

Now with the new hours, the casino will also operate the Wabash Cafe 24/7. The operating hours for the Kitchen 888 and Medinah Bistro will maintain unchanged.

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Bally's Chicago Casino may never be built

December 5, 2023

The $1.7 billion Bally's Chicago Casino may be at risk of never being built. There are two underlying reasons that contribute to this possibility. First, Bally's is reportedly having difficulty raising funds for construction, and second, there are reports of investigations into Mayor Lori Lightfoot's handling of the casino bidding process and the selection of Bally's for the sole Chicago casino license.

FINANCE PROBLEM

Chicago City Alderman Brian Hopkins does not believe Bally's Chicago Casino will never be built and expects the company to eventually drop the project due to lack of funding.

"Bally's has already indicated that they're not in a hurry to start construction. They're years away from it.

"They don't have the money to do it. They were counting on the cash flow from the Medinah Temple site to fund the construction project, and right now, they don't have it. The signs are on the wall that they're going to stay [at Medinah Temple] longer."

- Alderman Brian Hopkins

Bally's operates a temporary casino inside Chicago's Medinah Temple to help finance construction of the permanent casino planned for the Freedom Center. The Medinah Temple revenues are down as the daily visitor totals fell to 2,600 last month from 3,300 in the previous month.

Bally's has a deadline of September 9, 2026 to build the permanent Bally's Chicago Casino.

INVESTIGATION

Bally's is facing federal and local investigations in Chicago's 2022 bidding process and casino selection, according to Crain's Chicago Business. Bally's was selected for the city's casino license in May 2022 over Hard Rock International and Rush Street Gaming.

Crain's reports the US Attorney's Office is looking into complaints from the rival applicants over handling of the process and Bally's selection. In addition, Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg is reportedly looking into the same issues.

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Bally's Chicago casino license is approved

October 30, 2023

Last Thursday the Illinois Gaming Control Board (IGB) approved the casino license for Bally's Chicago permanent casino at 777 W Chicago Ave. The IGB also approved a 12-month extension of Bally's license for its temporary casino at Medinah Temple.

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Bally's Casino gets permanent operating license, extension at Medinah Temple - Courtesy of WGN News, Oct 27, 2023. Available from YouTube

Bally's Chicago will be a $1.7 million casino complex on the Chicago River. Construction will begin in 2024 and completed in 2026. The 168,000 square-foot casino will be the largest in Chicago and feature 3,400 slot machines,173 table games, six restaurants, 3,000-seat theater, and a 500-room hotel.

Bally's Temporary Casino at Medinah Temple
Bally's operates a 24/7 temporary casino inside the Medinah Temple at 600 N Wabash Ave. This casino opened Sept. 9, 2023 and will operate until the construction of Bally's Chicago is completed. Last Thursday the Illinois Gaming Control Board (IGB) approved a 12-month extension of the casino license. The casino license will now expire in four years.

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Bally's Chicago to begin 24-hour operations on Wednesday morning - Courtesy of FOX 32 Chicago, Oct 26, 2023. Available from YouTube

Bally's Medinah Temple casino has three floors of gaming space for a total of 34,000 square feet. The casino features 800 slot machines, 56 table games, two restaurants, a cafe and two bars.

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Bally's celebrates grand opening of temporary Chicago casino

October 3, 2023

Bally's celebrated the official grand opening Tuesday of its downtown casino in the Medinah Temple. The casino began operating on Sep.9 and will continue for the next three years during the construction of the $1.74 billion Bally's Chicago. The grand opening of Bally's Chicago is scheduled for 2026

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Bally's formally cuts ribbon on temporary Chicago casino - Courtesy of CBS Chicago, Oct 3, 2023. Available from YouTube

Bally's temporary Chicago casino is located at 600 N Wabash Ave. The casino is open 24/7 and features 800 slot machines and 56 table games. The gaming area is 34,000 square feet and occupies three floors inside the Medinah Temple.

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Bally's Casino at Medinah Temple Opened Today 8 AM

September 9, 2023

Bally's will open their temporary casino today at 8 AM inside the Medinah Temple in River North. The casino is the first in Chicago. The opening follows days of inspection and testing by the Illinois Gaming Board and two days of rehearsal events.

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Bally's temporary Chicago casino is now open for business - Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago, Sep 9, 2023. Available from YouTube

Bally's temporary casino is a 34,000 -sq-ft casino on three levels. Gaming includes 800 slot machines and 56 table games. There are three restaurants: Kitchen 888 (Asian cuisine), Medinah Bistro (comfort food), and Wabash Cafe (quick bites). Bally's also has two bars, the Center Bar and the Bistro Bar.

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Bally's Chicago hopes to open temporary casino this week!

September 5, 2023

Bally's Chicago will open a temporary casino at the Medinah Temple soon after Labor Day. The temporary casino will be the first in Chicago and will operate at 600 N Wabash Ave during the construction of the permanent Bally's Chicago casino resort. The opening day is expected to be around Sept. 9 according to emerging media reports.

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Temporary Chicago casino could open its doors in early September - Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago, Aug 24, 2023. Available from YouTube

The exact opening date will be determined by the Illinois Gaming Board. The board will inspect the casino on Sept. 5 and test the gaming equipment on Sept. 6 and 7. If the inspection and testing are approved, the casino could be opened to the public by Sept. 9th.

The permanent Bally's Chicago casino will be located on a 30-acre site at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. Construction is expected to start next July 2024 and completed in 2026.

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Bally's Chicago Casino releases final renderings

May 18, 2023

Bally's updated plan for its $1.7 billion River West casino received final approval last week from the city's zoning administrator. New renderings of the updated design were released to the media show ing a more "neighborhood-oriented entertainment complex that reflects the primary design goals of the City's request for proposals.".

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New renderings of Bally's Chicago casino released - Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago, May 12, 2023. Available from YouTube

See the full set of new renderings of Bally's Chicago here.

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Chicago casino selection is announced by Mayor

May 6, 2022

Yesterday the final selection for the first Chicago casino was announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The winning bidder is Bally's in River West. Hard Rock Casino Hotel and Rivers at The 78 had been been the final competition.

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River West site chosen for Bally's casino - Courtesy of WGN News, May 5, 2022. Available from YouTube

Bally's in River West will be a $1.7 billion located on the Tribune Publishing site at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. Bally's will feature 3,400 slot machines, 173 table games, ten restaurants, a 500-room hotel and a 3,000-seat theater.

Bally's grand opening will be in late 2025 or early 2026. A temporary casino will open in Spring 2023.

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Chicago casino proposals are cut to three finalists

March 30, 2022

Last week Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city has postponed its final selection for a Chicago casino until early summer, and instead has selected three applicants as finalists for further consideration.

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Mayor Lightfoot cuts Chicago casino deck to 3 finalists - Courtesy of FOX 32 Chicago, Mar 22 2022. Available from YouTube

The three finalists under consideration for the Chicago casino license are:

Bally's in River West
Location: Chicago Tribune Publishing Center
Bally's Casino is a $1.8 billion proposal to build a casino with 3,400 slot machines and 173 table games, six restaurants, a food hall, a 500-room casino and a 3,000-seat concert venue.

Hard Rock Casino Hotel
Location: One Central
Hard Rock Chicago is a $1.7 billion proposal to build a casino west of Soldier Field featuring 3,400 slots and 166 table games, eight restaurants and a food hall, a 500-room hotel and Rock spa and a 3,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert venue.

Rivers Chicago at The 78
Rivers Chicago at The 78 is a $2 billion proposal to build a casino with 4,000 slot machines, eight restaurants and a food hall, a 300-room hotel and a riverfront entertainment venue.

The two rejected proposals were Bally's Chicago at McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard and the Rivers Chicago at McCormick Place.

The mayor is planning three public hearings in April, one with each of the bidders. After the hearings the mayor will select a finalist and prepare a community agreement for the Zoning Committee. If the mayor's selection is then approved by the City Council, the casino application will be sent to the Illinois Gaming Board for review and final approval.

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Chicago casino proposals presented at public meeting

December 20, 2021

Five casino proposals for Chicago were presented Thursday at a public meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Bally's presented two proposals, one in River West and another near McCormick Place. Rush Street Gaming also presented two proposals,Rivers 78 casino. and the Rivers Chicago at McCormick. The fifth proposal was presented by Hard Rock for a location near Soldier Field.

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3 companies present bids for Chicago casino Thursday - Courtesy of WGN News, Dec 16, 2021. Available from YouTube

Mayor Lightfoot intends to select one of the five proposals in early 2022 and submit it to the City Council for approval. If approved by the council, the selected proposal will be sent to the Illinois Gaming Board for review and final approval.

The daylong session was held at UIC's Dorin Forum.

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New details on 5 Chicago casino proposals

November 22, 2021

The office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot release additional details about the five Chicago casino proposals on Friday. Each proposal will be reviewed by a committee of city department leaders who will select one to recommend to Mayor Lightfoot. The mayor will make the final decision subject to approval by the city council.

For the latest details see All Chicago Casino Proposals.

The five proposals are Bally's Chicago at either the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center or at McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard, Hard Rock at One Central, Rivers Chicago at McCormick, and Rivers 78 Gaming at The 78.

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5 proposals submitted for Chicago casino-resort

November 2, 2021

Four applicants for the sole Chicago casino license have proposed five different locations to the Illinois Gaming Board. All applications were received by the board prior to the Oct. 29 deadline.

The four Chicago casino applicants are Bally's Corporation, Hard Rock International, Rivers Chicago at McCormick LLC and Rivers 78 Gaming.

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5 Chicago casino-resort proposals submitted - Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago, Oct 31, 2021. Available from YouTube

Very few details of the applications have been released to the public at this time. However, some intitial information has been disclosed:

Bally's Corporation
Bally's has proposed a 1.6 billion casino resort complex to be built at one of two sites. One site is the McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard and the other is the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

Hard Rock International
HR Chicago, LLC has proposed a single site to be managed by Hard Rock International. More details are expected soon.

Rivers Chicago at McCormick LLC
Rivers Chicago at McCormick LLC proposes a casino managed by Rush Street Gaming LLC. The likely location is the McCormick Place area. More details to come.

Rivers 78 Gaming
Rivers 78 Gaming proposes a casino managed by Rush Street Gaming LLC. The site is undisclosed at this time. More details to come.

The casino applicant selected for the Chicago license will have the opportunity to operate a temporary casino for up to 24 months during constuction of the final casino resort.

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