Bally's alters construction on permanent Chicago casino amid dispute with city over video gambling
Bally's paused parts of its Chicago casino construction amid a dispute over video gambling devices with the city.Summary
Bally's has halted portions of the construction of its permanent casino in Chicago’s River West neighborhood after the city accused the company of breaching an agreement that limits the placement of video poker and other gambling devices in bars and restaurants. 15th Ward Alderman Ray Lopez said the city was using the dispute to leverage budget concerns, while Bally’s spokesperson noted that the pause was a response to a potential uncontrolled proliferation of video gambling terminals that would violate the Host Community Agreement and could harm the project’s prospects. The company has hired law firm RKF Global to represent it in a possible lawsuit and has stated that the opening of the permanent casino in early 2027 remains unchanged. Meanwhile, Bally’s is operating a temporary casino at the former Medinah Temple Building in River North, and construction on the hotel portion of the project has been halted, though the casino itself continues. The city and mayor’s office have yet to comment on the situation.
(Source：Abc7 Chicago)