According to a Request for Information issued last year regarding a Chicago casino, most respondents prefer an accessible location in or near downtown, measuring 10 acres to 25 acres, with room for a casino, hotel, parking, entertainment and more.
One of the top contenders is the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. It wasn’t used much before Covid-19 hit, and offers huge open spaces casinos desire, plus parking, hotels next door and a lakefront setting. A spokeswoman for the agency that operates McCormick Place said it has had no recent discussions with officials regarding a casino.
The 78 in the South Loop features 62 open acres running southwest from Roosevelt Road and Clark Street. A source said, “This is clearly the site that would make the most revenue for the city and the state. You can build a product there that’s interesting and cool.” It has highway access but developers have a deal with the University of Illinois to put a tech research center there.
The 30-acre Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant at 777 West Chicago Avenue offers the benefit of enough space to build a temporary casino while the permanent facility is being built. It would require improved access, and it would have to be bought out from Nexstar Media Group, which leases it to the Tribune.
The Palmer House hotel which is in foreclosure and temporarily closed due to Covid-19 also has been mentioned. A developer said, “We think infill sites are more interesting, that are walkable and part of the urban fabric and would ultimately become a bigger entertainment destination because it needs to be about more than gambling.”
Navy Pier offers the advantages of being government-owned and located where a lot of activity already takes place, with crowds and attractions built-in. However, observers said access issues could deter high rollers and conventioneers. Some have suggested Navy Pier as an option for temporary gambling, but a source said, “There’s not a lot of evidence that temporary sites work well.”
Among the outliers is the state’s Thompson Center has been proposed. A source said, “There would be so much irony there to put it right in the seat of government.” The old Michael Reese Hospital site is surrounded by a community that’s strongly opposed to a casino. The One Central development planned near Soldier Field is too far away, insiders said. The Old Post Office once was a strategic choice but now it’s making money as corporate offices. Finally, some sites on the Southeast Side have been mentioned but they’re too far removed from downtown.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she plans to issue a Request for Proposals during the first quarter.
