Bally’s Postpones Medinah Temporary Casino Opening to September
Bally’s postpone the Medinah temporary casino opening for a few months now. However, the company announced it would open the casino publicly in September.
After receiving conditional clearance from the Illinois Gaming Board in June, the first step before full licensing, Bally’s began installing over 750 slot machines and 50 gaming tables at Medinah Temple. Executives had previously stated they anticipated filling all 1,000 gaming roles by the month’s end.
If the board approves the test run of gaming operations in July, Bally’s executives want to start the dice rolling in Medinah by the end of the month.
When asked about the “status and progress” of the approval process for Bally’s Chicago, the Gaming Board issued a statement saying it could not answer.
Located in Rhode Island After a fierce bidding war, Bally’s was awarded the contract to construct a $1.74 billion casino on the 30-acre site of the former Chicago Tribune printing mill in River West. According to casino pay per head experts, Bally’s paid Nexstar Media $200 million for the land and intends to establish a permanent casino there by 2026.
Medinah Temporary Casino Opening
Bally’s said in May that it would pay $150 million to Tribune Publishing to get out of its lease early and move out by July 5, 2024, so the casino could be built.
Casino reviews and news sites show that the Shriners constructed the Medinah Temple in 1912. Bally’s will operate the temporary casino for a maximum of three years. The 130,000-square-foot landmark skyscraper has been undergoing renovations by Bally’s since January.
In May, Bally’s put up a help needed sign, aiming to fill over 700 roles throughout the temporary casino’s many departments, from card dealers and security to cleaning and marketing.
The anticipated opening of the temporary building was repeatedly postponed throughout the year, from June to July to August to September. The city and Bally’s are losing money each month that the casino is closed. As a result, players play online slot machines due to the lack of a brick-and-mortar casino.
Bally’s Chicago, the winner of a competitive bidding process led by former mayor Lori Lightfoot, is expected to produce $805.6 million in adjusted gross receipts (the money left over after prizes are paid out) annually by 2028.