The vision for Bally's proposed new gaming paradise in Chicago's River West area has come into sharper focus thanks to newly released renderings showing off the casino's anticipated poker room and gaming floor. This peek into the planned interior was first brought to light by the Chicago real estate news outlet Chicago YIMBY, which found the images buried within a Bally's application for a parallel gaming venture in New York City, as reported by The Chicago Sun-Times.
These renderings showcase a vast array of 3,400 slot machines and a cavalcade of table games enveloped within the future $1.7 billion complex that is not only poised to host waves of gamblers but is also set to feature a 500-room hotel, a rooftop oasis complete with a pool and bar, various dining options, as well as a 3,000-seat theater and a public park that gracefully extends into a riverwalk. A previous glimpse provided by Bally's had already given us a sense of the grandeur to expect with the past revelation of a proposed 36-story hotel tower and the casino itself. As CDC Gaming Reports notes, there will also be specialized rooms for poker and baccarat aficionados.
Amid the excitement, construction efforts have begun to surge with the raising of a crane last month on the historical Tribune printing press site located by Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. According to state mandates, Bally's is under the gun to initiate gambling operations at this permanent site by September of next year, despite a brief interruption in progress earlier in the year. This pause can be attributed to findings by The Chicago Sun-Times that a garbage disposal company with reputed mob ties had been operating at the construction site, an issue currently under investigation by the Illinois Gaming Board.
Despite the grandiose plans for its permanent location, Bally's has found its temporary abode at the Medinah Temple less than lucrative, generating approximately $270 million in adjusted revenue since September 2023—translating to a modest $41 million boon to the state's taxes and an added $33.6 million to aid Chicago's police and firefighter pensions. However, these figures fall short of the former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's original projections, which had pinned the temporary casino's output at a sturdy $34 million for the city in just its first full year. In fact, just last month, the revenue marked an unsettling 13% downturn from its November 2024 performance. Despite such financial hurdles, Bally's sees a light ahead, as they are on the cusp of securing another coveted casino license in New York, next to an ex-golf course previously owned by Donald Trump, as revealed by The Chicago Sun-Times. Upon issuance of the gaming license, Bally's will compensate the Trump Organization with a lump sum revealed by Forbes to be $115 million.
