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.

Casino chicago downtown