Bally's on Friday revealed it secured funding to construct a casino and hotel in Chicago's River West neighborhood and released renderings of the proposed site plan.
The company entered into a $940 million agreement with Gaming and Leisure Properties to provide funding for the project at the former Tribune Publishing site, which Bally's took possession of on July 5. Crews began preparing the site for demolition this week, according to the gaming company.
Bally's "improved site plan" consists of a 34-story, the 500-room hotel tower, 3,000-seat theater and a 2-acre public park. Within the casino itself, will be six restaurants, cafes, a food hall and space for 3,300 slots, 173 table games and VIP gaming areas.
The 30-acre property will feature a hotel tower, including a large pool spa, fitness center and rooftop restaurant, on the southern end of the development closest to Ohio Street.
"Bally’s Chicago Casino development will harness the beauty of the urban Chicago riverfront site to create inclusive, dynamic spaces," with an approximately 2,000-foot-long extension of the Chicago Riverwalk connecting the property to the lower riverbank.
In mid-June, a spokesperson for Bally’s said plans were still on track despite comments by Mayor Brandon Johnson. In an interview, the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board asked the mayor if he believes the permanent casino will ultimately be built. Johnson was noncommittal, saying that was "still to be determined."
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In Sept. 2023, a temporary casino opened inside the Medinah Temple building in River North. The company said that May marked the most successful month yet for the casino, with the highest revenue ($13.8 million) and admissions (more than 118,000 people) since opening last fall.
The permanent casino is still scheduled to open to the public in September 2026 as planned.
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