Bally’s has announced the opening of its temporary casino in Chicago while a permanent Bally’s Chicago Casino venue is being constructed.
The temporary casino opened its doors on 9 September and will be the location for the casino operator in the Windy City for the next three years as a $1.7bn permanent venue located on the 30-acre Chicago Tribune Publishing Center is built.
Located at Medinah Temple, a Moorish revival building in Chicago, the temporary casino has around 800 slot machines, 50 table games, a VIP and high roller section, two restaurants, a bar and a cafe, all while maintaining the building’s original structure and architecture.
Bally’s gained city council support for the construction of Bally’s Chicago Casino in December last year, which included the opening of a temporary location.
Scheduled to open in the summer of 2026, the project is expected to generate over $800m per year, as well as create 3,000 annual construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs upon completion.
Bally’s Chicago will have 3,400 slots, 170 table games, 10 food and beverage venues, a 500-room hotel tower with a rooftop bar, a 3,000-seat entertainment centre and a 20,000 square-foot exhibition and outdoor music venue.
The location will also have more than 10 acres of outdoor space, which includes a park for the community featuring an expansive public riverwalk with a water taxi stop.
In May 2022, Bally’s beat competitors such as Hard Rock and Rush Street Gaming to become the preferred bidder following Chicago’s request for proposals to construct and operate a casino in the city.
