The possibility of damage to city water pipes is causing officials at Rhode Island-based Bally’s to rethink the design for the 35-story hotel tower planned for its permanent $1.7 billion Chicago casino and entertainment complex, to be located at the Chicago Tribune printing plant at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.
Bally’s said construction on the project will start this summer and is still expected to open by September 9, 2026, as required by Illinois law. Currently the temporary Bally’s casino is operating out of the historic Medinah Temple.
The Chicago City Council approved Bally’s original plan in late 2022, which called for a 100-room hotel along the river at Chicago Avenue and the 400-room tower to be built in a second phase within five years. But, in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, a Bally’s spokesperson said “due to unforeseen infrastructure issues,” building the foundation for the 505,000-square-foot tower could damage major water pipes near the Chicago River.
Bally’s recently submitted a revised plan to the Department of Buildings calling for the 100-room hotel to be built in a 74-foot-tall building near an event space on the 30-acre site’s south end. The spokesperson said, “We are one step closer to the start of construction of the permanent casino by working closely with all stakeholders including the city. We look forward to getting shovels in the ground in 2024.”
In addition to the glass-faced tower, the $1.34 billion Bally’s Chicago will include a 65,000-square-foot convention center and a 3,000-seat theater.
Meanwhile, in a recent Chicago Sun-Times op-ed, the editorial board wrote, “Shame on Bally’s and the city for not having done the work months ago to determine what is underneath the planned hotel site near Chicago Avenue and the river.”
The editorial noted that although the Chicago Plan Commission and city council previously approved Bally’s Freedom Center plans, Mayor Brandon Johnson should require a redo of the approval process.
Adding to issues surrounding the casino, the temporary casino generated $3.1 million in tax revenue for the city since it opened September 9, 2023, significantly lower than former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s budget projections. Lightfoot chose Bally’s to receive the city’s gaming license in May 2022 over Hard Rock International and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming.
In addition, the Sun-Times editorial noted multiple investigations may look into how the gaming license was awarded to Bally’s. The op-ed said, “The Sun-Times reported last June that Nomura Securities, a city consultant selected to evaluate casino proposals when Lightfoot was mayor, had financial ties to Bally’s, the company that was ultimately selected over two more established enterprises to build and operate the casino.”
