Ahead of intensive pre-licensing testing of gambling machines, security and more, Chicago media recently got a preview tour of the temporary Bally’s Casino at the 111-year-old Medinah Temple.
The venue will operate while the permanent $1.7 billion facility is built at the Chicago Tribune printing plant on the Chicago River near Halsted and Grand; it’s expected to open in 2026 and generate $200 million in annual gaming revenue. Analysts estimate the temporary casino could generate $55 million in annual revenue for the city.
According to WGN, Ameet Patel, Bally’s senior vice president of regional operations, said, “We’re making sure that they’re testing every aspect of our operation. Not just the casino, not just the slot machines, not just the games, food and beverage operations, the bar. Every aspect of this operation will be tested.”
The Medinah location will feature a total of 750-plus slots and gaming machines and 28 table games. More than 400 machines plus a large circular bar and the Wabash Café under the temple’s famed onion-shaped domes are located on the first floor.
Ascending escalators remaining from Bloomingdale’s, the temple’s previous tenant, guests will find another 200 slots plus 28 table games, a high-limit area and two restaurants on the second and third floors. Bally’s also kept the temple’s stained-glass windows dating to 1912. The venue will hold 3,500 people.
Red and blue carpeting, walls of TVs featuring sports events and dining options including an Asian fusion restaurant and the Medinah Bistro add to the ambiance.
Officials said they received 16,000 job applications and hired 700 employees, including 300 dealers. Patel said 80 percent of Medinah’s staff are minorities, 53 percent are women and 59 percent live in Chicago.
Per WGN, Patel noted, “We think we’re ready. We want to show them that we’re 110 percent ready. We’re making sure this casino is more than just a casino, it’s a showcase of history and culture for the city. This will be a proud moment for Chicago and everybody around this area.”
But many area residents would not agree. Deborah Gershbein, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said, “Chicago can do better than this. We don’t need to look at gambling as a resource to raise funds for the city. These are the two main arteries to and from the expressway that leads downtown, so we are very concerned about the traffic issues as well as the potential safety issues.”
42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly said he still is “vehemently opposed” to the casino opening at Medinah Temple.
In an email to Block Club Chicago, he said, “For many months I have been asking for detailed traffic and safety plans for the temporary casino. I still have not received detailed plans with firm commitments on police force levels within the radius of the casino and nearby parking garages, traffic management aides or external private security deployments.”
Bally’s temporary casino will be Illinois’ 15th, in addition to 8,300 locations featuring video gaming machines.
