Chicago will ring in the new year with an around-the-clock casino.
Bally’s temporary gaming hall at the historic Medinah Temple will become a 24/7 operation Wednesday, Dec. 27, the Rhode Island-based gaming corporation announced this week.
Since opening in September, the casino at 600 N. Wabash Ave. has shut down from 4 a.m. till 8 a.m.
Bally’s executives have listed that as one reason for the casino’s lackluster revenue numbers out of the gate, earning about $22 million in gross revenue through November, generating about $2.2 million in tax revenue for Chicago’s bereft police and firefighter pension funds.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office initially pegged the long-sought casino to rack up $12.8 million for the city this year.
Bally’s received the green light from the Illinois Gaming Board to operate 24/7, as well as to expand its marketing operations, a plan that also required regulator approval.
”Opening our doors 24/7 is an important step as we continue to increase our visitation,” said Bally’s Chicago general manager Mark Wong said in a statement. “For November, we were the second most visited casino in the state, and we saw our highest guest admissions to date. This is a progression towards attaining the goals we set out to achieve and gives us similar hours to other local casino properties.”
Gamblers made nearly a quarter-million trips through Bally’s turnstiles by the end of November, gaming board records show.
A cafe in the casino also will operate around the clock, while other restaurants will maintain their usual hours.
The casino has about 800 slots and 56 table games spread across three levels inside the 111-year-old Moorish-style historic landmark. The building originally served as headquarters for the Shriners fraternal organization.
Bally’s expects to operate at Medinah through September 2026 while the company builds a permanent $1.3 billion casino complex at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, the current site of the Chicago Tribune’s printing operation. Construction is expected to begin next summer.
