Chicago Unveils New Casino Plans with Bally’s

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: July 26, 2024

Two years ago, the city of Chicago announced that it would work with Bally’s Corporation to introduce a new casino property to its riverfront. Bally’s won the project bid over several other contenders, including Rush Street Gaming and the iconic Hard Rock brand.

Delays in Building Planning

However, it was only recently that Bally’s shared an up-to-date building design plan, due to some issues with previous plans. The new plans depict a 34-story hotel tower with 500 rooms. The complete site spans 30 acres and used to be the location of Tribune Publishing.

Alongside a casino, the hotel features many top-notch amenities including a pool, spa, rooftop bar/restaurant, and a fitness lounge. The casino will contain over 3000 slot machines, 173 table games, and exclusive areas for casino VIPs.

In addition to the hotel-based amenities, the casino will feature many special guest experiences of its own, including dining facilities, bars and entertainment venues.

In the original building plans Bally’s presented, the hotel tower was placed north of the casino, but it was discovered that this may cause damage to existing water pipes. Therefore, the tower will instead be placed south of the casino, as is shown in the new plan.

Next Steps for Bally’s Chicago

Before any new building work takes place, the original site will be demolished. This is set to occur soon and is headed up by Brandenburg Industrial Service Company. The building plans have not been approved by the Chicago Department of Planning & Development yet, either.

According to the casino company, the project should provide the city 6,000 jobs overall: 3,000 during the construction phase and another 3,000 upon opening, specifically for casino and hotel jobs. However, some are asking when the opening will actually take place.

Bally’s president, George Papanier, shared that the project is still on track to open in September 2026, which was the original date in mind for the project before the building planning delays. In a statement about the new plans, Papanier wrote:

“With keys to the property in hand, the new financing secured, a site plan that exceeds the original, and demolition set to start this summer, let there be no doubt that Bally’s Chicago Casino and Hotel will soon rise up along the Chicago River.”

A GLPI Coproduction

The financing Papanier is referring to comes from Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc (GLPI) which invested over $2 billion in the project. The Pennsylvania-based real estate investment trust agreed to fund the development of Chicago’s Bally’s with the expectation that the project will be successful.

In fact, GLPI’s dealings with Bally’s go beyond the Chicago location, with its agreement giving them the rights to lease back some of the other properties tied up in Bally’s locations in Missouri, Louisiana and Rhode Island. The two companies have a long history of cooperation. Bally’s acquired the Tropicana in Las Vegas from GLPI through a structured deal in 2021.