“I don’t think people historically think about downtown as a place you can do it. “I think that this is a huge opportunity to introduce gaming to downtown,” Soo said. Getting the message out that Bally’s Chicago was open for business remains job one, Soo said. Soo said Bally’s Chicago is exploring adding valet parking to make it easier for customers to come to the city’s first casino. Other concerns with the Medinah site included the lack of on-site parking. Bally’s Chicago has been “pleasantly surprised” by a younger than expected table game crowd, one of several encouraging signs at the casino, he said. Soo pointed to the “whispered offering” and traffic disruptions downtown as challenges during the shortened first month of operation. None of the tables were open on the third floor, while the mass of slot machines were flashing idly across the casino.

On Tuesday morning, Bally’s Chicago was mostly empty after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with a handful of dealers standing at the ready behind a smattering of black-covered Bally’s poker and blackjack tables open on the second floor. Medinah Temple, a landmarked, 111-year-old Moorish-style amphitheater in River North, will serve as a temporary casino for up to three years while the permanent facility is built.īally’s Chicago renovated the 130,000-square-foot Medinah Temple, filling the three-story, block-long building on North Wabash Avenue with nearly 800 slot machines and 56 gaming tables, an expansive blue-lit center bar, two restaurants and a coffee shop. It plans to open the permanent casino in 2026. Rhode Island-based Bally’s won a heated competition last year, besting four other proposals with its plan to build a $1.74 billion casino at the site of Tribune Publishing’s Freedom Center printing plant in River West.

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