Bally’s Corp. has made some changes to its ambitious 30-acre Chicago casino development, including plans for its hotel.
The project is still getting a 500-key hotel. However, in the latest design update, the tower has been moved to the south end of the future Bally’s Chicago Casino, near Ohio Street along the Chicago River, pending Planning Department approval and Development of Chicago, details Bally in a statement. . The hotel was moved due to unforeseen underground infrastructure, Bally’s said.
The 34-story hotel tower will feature a large spa with a pool, a fitness center, a sun deck and a rooftop bar and restaurant with views of the Chicago skyline. It is now expected to be completed in a single-phase construction project funded by Wyomissing, Pennsylvania-based Gaming and Leisure Properties.
“Gaming and Leisure Properties has agreed to fund the entire development in one phase to deliver a better project in a more efficient manner,” said Bally President George Papanier.
Bally’s Chicago Casino is planned for the former Tribune Publishing site at 777 W. Chicago Ave., which Bally’s took possession of earlier this month and is preparing for demolition, Bally’s said.
“With the keys to the property in hand, new financing secured, a site plan that surpasses the original, and demolition set to begin this summer, there can be no doubt that Bally’s Chicago Casino and Hotel will soon rise along the Chicago River,” Papanier said, adding that the project “absolutely intends[s] meet the September 2026 opening date as planned.”
When the city of Chicago approved the 30-acre development in May 2023, Bally’s estimated total project costs at $1.7 billion. Beyond the hotel, the project will include a casino with approximately 3,300 slots; a 3,000-seat theater; six restaurants, cafes and a dining room; and a public park of 2 hectares.
In Las Vegas, Bally’s is working with Gaming and Leisure Properties to build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics on the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas casino complex.
