Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday invited gamblers in Chicago and beyond to come to the table at the city’s first legal casino.
“To all of our residents and Illinoisans and everyone else: please come and — responsibly — spend your money at this casino,” Johnson said outside Bally’s new gambling venue at Medinah Temple, which started operating last month at 600 N. Wabash Ave.
About three weeks after Illinois Gaming Board regulators let Bally’s open the doors to gamblers, Johnson helped cut the ceremonial ribbon at Medinah, which is expected to take bets for the next three years while a bigger, permanent casino is built in the River West neighborhood.
“I talk about how Chicago is the greatest freakin’ city in the world, and for those who did not know, now they know,” Johnson said outside the temporary casino. “And attractions like Bally’s continue to show why we are beloved and why we’re a destination for visitors from all over the globe.”
Johnson also touted the 700 jobs created for the Medinah operation and the thousands of construction jobs to come as promised by Bally’s, which was selected as the casino operator last year by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“This is more than just an entertainment venue. This project is going to secure Chicago’s fiscally strong and vibrant future,” said Johnson, who cut the ribbon alongside Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) and Bally’s chairman Soo Kim.
Former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (from left); Mayor Brandon Johnson; Soo Kim, chairman of the board of directors at Bally’s Corp.; Ald. Jason Ervin (28th); Ald. Walter Burnett (27th); Bally’s board member Wanda Wilson; Bally’s President George Papanier; Bally’s Chicago general manager Mark Wong; and Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter attend Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at Bally’s Casino Chicago at Medinah Temple.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Conspicuously absent from the ribbon-cutting was Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who had a conflicting appearance at the University of Chicago that had been on his calendar “for a while,” according to his staff. Pritkzer and Johnson administration officials have butted heads publicly in the last week over the burgeoning crisis of asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago.
The Chicago casino was the crown jewel of the statewide gambling expansion law that Pritzker championed in 2019 to help fund his signature $45 billion capital infrastructure improvement plan.
Four other casinos have opened since then, bringing Illinois’ roster to 15 — with another on the way in the south suburbs. The law also introduced sports betting and expanded the state’s network of more than 45,000 slot machines in gas stations, bars and other establishments.
“For years, Chicago pushed for a casino to help with its pension debt. Together with the [General Assembly], we made that happen with Bally’s Chicago,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Not only will millions of dollars go to paying off the debt, but hundreds of Chicagoans will have new, good-paying jobs.”
City tax revenue from Bally’s is earmarked for Chicago’s depleted police and firefighter pension funds. Johnson’s administration is banking on up to $50 million a year from the temporary site at Medinah, and about $200 million per year from the permanent structure expected to launch in 2026 at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.
Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim said the casino so far is “drawing a slightly different crowd” than their other properties — a younger one reflecting the people who live, work and travel in the River North neighborhood.
“We’re here to keep our promises to our community. ... It’s just the first step of the longer journey, to build the whole [permanent] casino,” Kim said.
Bally’s has said the permanent gambling venue will generate upward of $800 million per year. Johnson said he’s “confident” the Rhode Island-based corporation can meet those projections.
As for the mayor’s preferred casino game?
“I’m really big on Uno. I’m not sure if that’s going to be here,” Johnson joked. “And I’m talking about the way Black people play Uno. You might have to Google that.”
