Last updated: January 30, 2024
The IGB decided to let Bally’s keep its Medinah Temple lease for another year.
Bally’s can turn its temporary operating permit into a full casino license, thanks to a vote by the Illinois Gaming Board. The move helps the company move forward with its $1.7 billion gaming venue in Chicago.
The IGB also agreed to give Bally’s an extra year on its lease at Medinah Temple. The Medinah Temple will be a temporary casino until 2026. This will give Bally’s one more year to finish building its permanent site in River West.
It was a month ago that Bally’s opened its temporary casino. There are 750 slot machines and 50 table games at the venue. The 50-acre Chicago Tribune Publishing Center will have the permanent Bally’s Chicago. It will be at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. There will be 3,400 slot machines, 170 table games, and 10 places to eat and drink at the resort. It will have a hotel tower with 500 rooms, a bar on the roof, and an entertainment center that is 65,000 square feet.
Bally’s Corporation announced that Bally’s Kansas City expansion is now open. The new gaming and retail space takes up over 35,000 square feet. Since it bought the building in 2020, the renovation is the biggest investment that Bally’s Corporation has made in it.
Bally’s says it has added 200 new games and an area just for high-limit slots. The atmosphere is calmer and there are more games on the second floor. There is a Chickie’s & Pete’s Crabhouse and Sports Bar in the new business center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with Bally’s representatives, such as president George Papanier, and Pete Ciarrocchi, founder and owner of Chickie’s and Pete’s.
Marilyn Chavez is an associate researcher at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she studied the mathematical probabilities and aspects of casino games like slot machines. She’s written several case studies which have been published by multiple problem-gaming institutions to help spread awareness about the dangers of online gambling and gambling addiction. She also presented a 2019 Ted talk on the topic of gambling among minors.
