Chicago casino proposals

On May 5, 2022, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that the Bally's Tribune site was the choice as the location for a city casino.

[3][2] On April 22, 2021, Mayor Lightfoot announced that Chicago was seeking proposals to build and operate a casino.

[4] After a proposal would be accepted by Lightfoot, they would move to the City Council, and finally the Illinois Gaming Board.

The first phase of the process would cost $1 billion, which would include 2700 slot machines, 95 table games, a suite-only hotel, with 100 suites.

There would be a total of 4000 gaming seats with the expansion, a new 400 room hotel, a 3000-seat indoor venue, and a 20,000 feet exhibition space.

It would cost $1.7 billion to build, and would include up to 500 hotel rooms, a 3500-seat theater, 3400 slot machines, and 166 table games.

[8][7] It was later announced that Rush Street planned to have a riverboat as a temporary casino while the main structure was being built.

[2] Rush Street Gaming also proposed to convert the 50-year-old Lakeside Center at McCormick Place into a casino.

Jennie Huang Bennett, the city's chief financial officer said that the taxes "weren’t sufficient to cover" the cost to expand McCormick Place to compensate for the lost real estate.

[13] On May 5, 2022, Mayor Lightfoot announced that she had chosen the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center Bally's Proposal.

Bally's also announced their plans to use the Medinah Temple, as the temporary casino location, instead of the warehouse previously proposed.

The proposal still has to undergo steps after the decision, which includes getting a majority vote passed the city council, as well as gaming board approval.

“The game is not over yet,” said Brian Israel, president of the River North Residents Association, in reference to the selection process.