Bally’s Chicago temporary casino to open this weekend
Bally’s is running supervised practice gaming sessions.
US.- Bally’s plans to open its temporary Chicago casino on Saturday, pending the results of practice gaming sessions at the Medinah Temple venue yesterday and today. The Illinois Gaming Board will determine if the casino is ready to open following the sessions.
“We think we’re ready. We want to show them that we’re 110 per cent ready,” said Ameet Patel, Bally’s regional general manager. “This will be a proud moment for Chicago and everybody around this area.”
The 111-year-old temple is now home to 750 slot machines and 50 table games. Bally’s has hired around 700 employees, about 300 of whom have received dealer training. The company says Chicago residents were offered priority, but employees can live outside city limits.
The permanent Bally’s Chicago is slated to open in late 2025 or early 2026. The $1.7bn venue will have entertainment and a hotel at the 30-acre Chicago Tribune Publishing Center at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.
The resort will feature 3,400 slots, 170 table games and 10 food and beverage venues. It will also have a 500-room hotel tower with a rooftop bar and a 65,000-square-foot entertainment centre.
