Bally's Chicago

Bally's Chicago is a casino and planned integrated entertainment resort in Chicago, Illinois, developed by Bally's Corporation. The project emerged from Illinois' 2019 expansion of legalized gambling, which created a framework for a Chicago casino but required further city and state approvals before construction could proceed. Chicago officials had pursued the possibility of a casino for years, and the 2019 mayoral campaign helped establish political support for evaluating one as a potential source of municipal revenue. The city formally began soliciting casino-resort proposals in 2021 under Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The requested concept was substantially larger than a standalone gaming venue: proposals were expected to include a hotel, meeting facilities, restaurants, bars and entertainment space. Five bids were identified during the initial process, and three finalists were announced in March 2022. They included proposals from Rush Street Gaming, Bally's Corporation and Hard Rock. Bally's proposed a resort on the former Chicago Tribune printing-plant site in the River West area, near Grand Avenue, Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. On May 5, 2022, Lightfoot selected Bally's proposal. The selection was subsequently approved by the Chicago City Council, and Illinois regulators later issued the project a state gaming license. The planned permanent resort was initially described as a multibillion-dollar development, with the first phase expected to include a casino, hotel accommodation, restaurants, bars and entertainment facilities. Published plans described approximately 2,700 slot machines, 95 table games and a hotel with 100 suites in the initial phase. A potential later expansion was described as adding gaming capacity, another hotel component, a 3,000-seat indoor venue and exhibition space. Because the permanent site could not be completed immediately, Bally's and the city approved the Medinah Temple as a temporary casino location. Following renovation and regulatory approval, the temporary Bally's Chicago casino opened on September 9, 2023. It was intended to operate until the permanent River West resort is completed. The temporary venue gives Bally's a presence in the Chicago market while construction proceeds, but its early financial performance was reported as substantially below the expectations used in the city's planning. Reported revenue for 2023 reached about one-quarter of the forecast, while 2024 revenue reached less than half of the expected level. Construction activity for the permanent resort followed site preparation and demolition work. Demolition of older structures at the River West site began in August 2024, and construction was reported as beginning in 2025, with an opening target of 2027. The project is positioned as an integrated resort rather than only a casino: its proposed offer combines regulated gaming with lodging, food and beverage, live entertainment, meetings and other visitor-oriented amenities. Bally's Chicago has also been associated with disputes over ownership participation and the scope of gaming competition in Chicago. In 2025, litigation challenged an offering intended to reserve a 25 percent ownership interest in the casino for women and minority investors. The offering encountered litigation and did not receive the anticipated Securities and Exchange Commission approval at that stage, after which prospective investors were refunded and Bally's indicated that it planned to revisit the offering. Separately, debate over Chicago's later authorization of video gaming terminals raised questions about whether broader machine gaming at bars and restaurants could reduce the resort's revenue and conflict with exclusivity provisions in the host-community agreement. These developments make Bally's Chicago both a commercial casino project and a significant subject of Chicago gaming, tax and urban-development policy.

Bally's Chicago developed from a long-running effort to establish a casino in Chicago. In 2019, mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle expressed support for the concept. Illinois lawmakers passed gambling-expansion legislation in June 2019, and Governor J. B. Pritzker signed it into law. The legislation created a legal pathway for a Chicago casino, although it did not itself select a site or authorize the completed project. Lightfoot's administration then began studying possible locations and continued to seek a tax structure that would make the project commercially viable while producing revenue for public purposes, including police and firefighter pension obligations. The formal competitive process began in April 2021, when Chicago solicited proposals for a casino-resort. The city required bidders to think beyond gaming and to include a hotel with approximately 500 rooms, meeting space, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Five proposals were identified in November 2021, and three finalists were announced in March 2022. Rush Street Gaming proposed a site between the South Loop and Chinatown; Hard Rock proposed a location near Soldier Field; and Bally's proposed an approximately $1.74 billion project at the former Chicago Tribune printing-center site in River West. On May 5, 2022, Lightfoot selected Bally's Corporation as the winning bidder. The proposal initially described a permanent resort on a roughly 30-acre site near Grand Avenue, Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. The Chicago City Council approved the project in May 2022, while separate state regulatory authorization remained necessary. A temporary venue at the historic Medinah Temple was proposed so that Bally's could begin operating before the permanent resort was ready. The city approved the temporary arrangement in December 2022, and the Illinois Gaming Board approved it in September 2023. The Medinah Temple casino opened on September 9, 2023. It serves as the project's operating location during development of the permanent River West property. Early results were weaker than the forecasts associated with the project: reported revenue in 2023 was approximately 25 percent of the expected amount, and 2024 revenue was approximately 47 percent of forecast. In January 2026, a state legislator introduced a bill that would extend the temporary casino's license for an additional year because of delays affecting the permanent facility. The permanent resort's plans have been described in phases. The first phase was estimated at roughly $1 billion and included 2,700 slot machines, 95 table games and a hotel with 100 suites. A later expansion, potentially costing another $600 million, was described as adding up to 4,000 gaming seats, a 400-room hotel, a 3,000-seat indoor entertainment venue and approximately 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. Solomon Cordwell Buenz was identified as overseeing construction-related design work, with Gensler associated with casino-resort facilities and Solomon Cordwell associated with the hotel design. Site demolition began in August 2024, and construction was reported as beginning in 2025. The permanent resort was expected to open in 2027. Its proposed role is that of an integrated urban resort, combining casino gaming with lodging, restaurants, bars, entertainment and event facilities. The project has also faced legal and policy challenges. In 2025, Richard Fisher, Phillip Aronoff and the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Bally's, Chicago and Illinois gaming regulators over a proposed initial public offering intended to give women and minority investors a 25 percent ownership interest in the casino. Bally's had warned that the structure could lead to litigation. One case was settled in June 2025, while another action was brought by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of Mark Glennon. After the planned offering did not receive SEC approval, prospective investors were refunded, and Bally's stated that it planned another offering. A further dispute arose over Chicago's decision to permit video gaming terminals in bars and restaurants as part of its 2026 municipal budget. Bally's argued that widespread machine gaming could draw revenue away from its casino and undermine the city's projected employment and tax benefits. The debate also raised questions about the interpretation of the 2022 host-community agreement, which was described as granting Bally's exclusivity over most lawful gaming within city limits. As a result, Bally's Chicago remains subject not only to construction and licensing milestones but also to continuing negotiations over Chicago's broader gaming policy.

• 2025

  Construction of the permanent resort begins

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Construction was reported to have begun at the River West site, with opening expected in 2027.

• 2024

  Demolition begins at the permanent site

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition of existing structures at the planned River West resort site began in August.

• 2023

  Temporary casino opens at Medinah Temple

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Bally's Chicago began casino operations at the temporary Medinah Temple venue on September 9.

• 2022

  Bally's selected as preferred casino developer

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Mayor Lori Lightfoot selected Bally's River West proposal from three finalists.

• 2022

  City Council approves the project

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Chicago's City Council approved the Bally's casino-resort plan, advancing the project toward state licensing.

• 2021

  Chicago opens the casino-resort bidding process

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The city began soliciting proposals requiring gaming, hotel, dining, meeting and entertainment components.

• 2019

  Illinois expands the legal framework for Chicago casino development

  [1]Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Illinois enacted gambling-expansion legislation that created a pathway for a Chicago casino, prompting the city to study possible locations and financial terms.

A city-scale integrated casino resort combining regulated gaming, hospitality, dining and entertainment, with a temporary downtown-adjacent venue preceding a larger permanent development in River West.

• Casino · 2023

  Temporary Bally's Chicago Casino

  The temporary casino operates from the Medinah Temple in Chicago. It provides the brand's initial local gaming operation while the permanent River West integrated resort is developed. Its offering centers on slot machines and table games, supported by the hospitality and service functions required of a regulated casino venue.

• Integrated casino resort

  Permanent Bally's Chicago Integrated Resort

  The planned permanent resort in River West is designed to combine casino gaming with hotel accommodation, restaurants, bars, live entertainment and exhibition or meeting facilities. The initial plan described 2,700 slot machines, 95 table games and a hotel with 100 suites, with a possible later expansion adding further hotel, gaming and entertainment capacity.

• 2025

  Litigation over proposed women-and-minority ownership offering

  A proposed offering intended to reserve 25 percent ownership of Bally's Chicago for women and minority investors was challenged in lawsuits alleging discriminatory treatment. One case was settled, another was filed after the offering encountered a lack of SEC approval, and prospective investors were refunded.

  Source

Read more

• 2026

  Oppose expanded citywide video gamingStrategy

  Background

  Chicago authorized video gaming terminals at licensed bars and restaurants as part of its 2026 municipal budget.

  Action taken

  Bally's opposed the expansion, arguing that broader access to gaming machines could cannibalize casino revenue and weaken projected employment and tax benefits.

  Aftermath

  The policy raised questions about possible conflicts with the host-community agreement and remained subject to negotiations between city officials and the City Council.

  Estimated annual city tax-revenue loss cited by Bally's representative. (2026 policy debate)

  Source

• 2025

  Pause and reconsider the proposed ownership offeringOther

  Background

  A proposed offering reserved 25 percent ownership for women and minority investors and became the subject of litigation.

  Action taken

  After the offering did not receive SEC approval, Bally's refunded prospective investors and indicated that it planned to relaunch the offering.

  Aftermath

  The ownership structure remained legally contested, with litigation and a planned later offering continuing to affect the project's financing and governance narrative.

  Source

• 2022

  Select River West for the permanent resortStrategy

  Background

  Bally's competed against Rush Street Gaming and Hard Rock in Chicago's casino-resort procurement process.

  Action taken

  The city selected Bally's proposal for a resort at the former Chicago Tribune printing-center site in River West.

  Aftermath

  The City Council approved the plan, and the project proceeded toward state licensing and construction.

  Source

• 2022

  Use Medinah Temple as a temporary casinoStrategy

  Background

  The permanent River West resort required several years of planning, regulatory review and construction.

  Action taken

  Bally's proposed and developed the Medinah Temple as an interim operating venue.

  Aftermath

  The temporary casino opened in September 2023 and was expected to operate until the permanent resort opened.

  Source

1. 1Bally's Chicagoen.wikipedia.org