Bally’s Chicago Casino Construction Resumes Following Two-Week Pause

Construction on Bally's Chicago casino is back underway after a brief pause.

Development had to take a two-week hiatus after a news report revealed that the company used an unapproved waste hauling company. The Chicago Sun-Times alleged that the company, D&P Construction, had connections to organized crime.

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) issued a stop-work order until the issue was resolved.

Back in full swing

Bally’s confirmed on Thursday that work had resumed on the development site for the $1.7 billion casino, which will replace the temporary facility that opened at the Medinah Temple in River North in Sept., 2023, in preparation for the facility.

“We appreciate IGB's collaboration and support throughout this process and look forward to delivering this project to Chicago,” Bally’s said in a statement.

D&P Construction is no stranger to being connected to the mob. Its cooperation with a proposed casino, known as Emerald Casino, in 2005 led to the IGB ultimately revoking the facility’s license.

Fortunately for Bally’s, D&P’s involvement does not appear to have jeopardized its rights to its casino operator’s license. 

Bally’s was chosen to build Chicago’s first casino in 2022, beating out rivals Rivers Casino and Hard Rock. It suffered another setback last December when construction debris inadvertently fell into the nearby Chicago River.

Luckily, the timeline was not affected by the recent pause, and the company still expects to open its doors by late 2026.

High expectations

The incoming Bally’s casino will sit along the river and have a sleek silver exterior. It will come equipped with a 3,000-seat theater, six restaurants, cafes, a food hall, and a two-acre public park on the campus.

That’s on top of a 500-room hotel and a massive gaming floor with 3,300 slot machines and 173 table games.

The project is expected to bring more than 3,000 permanent jobs to the city on top of a plethora of temporary construction jobs. 

The temporary Bally’s casino in April was fifth in adjusted gaming revenue among Illinois’ 16 casinos, racking up $11 million. The state was led by Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which took home $44 million.

Illinois’ vast gaming market creates a nice landing spot for Bally’s, with both legal sportsbooks and casinos finding great success. The general infrastructure and population density of Chicago also offer the casino a unique opportunity, despite the temporary casino generating more losses than profits. 

The finished project will also mark the largest casino in Illinois.