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The Latest Breaking News from Medinah Temple

Bally’s Chicago casino closes out year $9.7M short of Lightfoot’s budget bet

The temporary casino at the historic Medinah Temple made less than a quarter of the money former Mayor Lori Lightfoot had estimated it would churn out for police and firefighter pension funds.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s Medinah Temple ‘temporary’ casino will be around awhile, City Council critic says

Ald. Brian Hopkins told the Sun-Times revenue from the Medinah site isn’t enough for Bally’s to begin building its permanent home in River West. Hopkins also offered an update on plans to revive Water Tower Place, a key fixture in his ward, on the Magnificent Mile.

Chicago Sun-Times

How to always win at a casino

A visit to Bally’s temporary casino at the Medinah Temple.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Bally’s temporary Chicago casino sees average daily revenue drop in first full month

Excitement about the city’s first casino appeared to wane over its first full month, state figures show.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s lands full casino license, locks in Medinah Temple operation through 2026

Bally’s now has until Sept. 9, 2026, to complete its 505,000-square-foot permanent casino complex in River West.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s temporary casino at Medinah Temple nets $6.7 million and 80,000 visitors in first few weeks

Figures released by the Illinois Gaming Board suggest the city’s first casino could fall behind initial city revenue projections this year — but they also hint at why it could become the most popular in the state.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s casino at Medinah Temple will ‘secure Chicago’s fiscally strong and vibrant future,’ Johnson says

Johnson helped cut the ceremonial ribbon Tuesday at Medinah Temple, which is expected to take bets for the next three years while a bigger permanent casino is built in River West.

Chicago Sun-Times

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All bets are on: Bally’s temporary Chicago casino opens for business at Medinah Temple

Gamblers started lining up at 6:30 a.m. to take some of the first spins at the city’s first legal casino, at 600 N. Wabash Ave.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s Chicago casino at Medinah Temple: What to know if you go

The city’s first casino, the precursor to a larger one expected to be built in River West, has more than 700 slots and 56 table games, and will eventually be open 24/7.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s temporary casino at Medinah Temple opens Saturday

The casino at 600 N. Wabash Ave. will open to the betting public at 8 a.m. Saturday, when Bally’s will fire up almost 800 slot machines and 56 table games in the heart of River North.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s Medinah Temple temporary casino landlord Albert Friedman will hit $20 million jackpot under 4-year lease

Albert M. Friedman will get more than $16.5 million in rent and a $330,000 management fee under his four-year lease, obtained by the Sun-Times. Bally’s also must pay a property tax bill that’s topped $1.1 million a year.

Chicago Sun-Times

Casino crunch time: Bally’s could open at Medinah Temple this weekend — as long as it aces practice sessions

Bally’s will run practice sessions this week with about 350 guests inside their temporary casino at Medinah Temple. If all goes well, the casino could open by Saturday.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s temporary Chicago casino at Medinah Temple could open soon after Labor Day

Regulators will inspect the River North operation Sept. 5 and oversee practice gaming sessions Sept. 6-7, regulators said.

Chicago Sun-Times

All bets are ... ‘a little delayed’? Temporary Chicago casino now expected to open in September

Bally’s executives initially aimed for a mid-August opening at the Medinah Temple. The corporation still needs the final green light from state gambling regulators.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Chicago Sun-Times

Firm that brought Bally’s to Chicago casino deal stood to profit from another Bally’s deal

The company that former Mayor Lori Lightfoot picked to own and operate the planned Chicago casino had financial ties to a consultant City Hall hired to solicit and evaluate bidders.

Chicago Sun-Times

First look: Bally’s nods to Medinah Temple’s history in temporary casino plan

The Sun-Times got an early look inside the River North casino that is expected to open by the end of summer. “Anyone can build a temporary casino, but not everyone gets a chance to build a temporary casino in a beautiful, historic building such as this,” said Mark Wong of…

Chicago Sun-Times

Long-sought Chicago casino could open by Labor Day as Bally’s plan for temporary site clears state hurdle

The Illinois Gaming Board’s “preliminary suitability” finding allows Bally’s to lay the groundwork for operations both at the Medinah Temple in River North and the permanent $1.7 billion casino complex at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, expected to open by 2026.

Chicago Sun-Times

State regulators approve Medinah Temple landlord of proposed temporary Chicago casino

State regulators are still evaluating Bally’s overall casino proposal, which they submitted in August. But regulators gave the OK to entities controlled by the politically connected owner of the Medinah Temple.

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Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s officials address concerns about temporary Medinah Temple casino at community meeting

Bally’s casino is set to temporarily occupy the historic Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave., before moving to its permanent riverfront location on Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

Chicago Sun-Times

Streeterville group opposes regular closing of Clark Street for outdoor dining in River North

In a letter to the mayor, Streeterville Organization of Active Residents President Deborah Gershbein declared her group “strongly opposed” to closing Clark Street between Grand and Kinzie, in part because of its proximity to the proposed interim casino at Medinah Temple.

Chicago Sun-Times

Bally’s-commissioned traffic study gives house an unfair advantage

An independent study examining a temporary casino at River North is needed.

Chicago Sun-Times

Medinah Temple casino won’t have big impact on River North traffic, says report; alderperson dismisses it as ‘thin gruel’

Ald. Brendan Reilly has led opposition against Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan for a temporary gambling house in his ward, and he’s skeptical of the traffic study, which was commissioned by Bally’s.

Chicago Sun-Times

Community meeting aims to ease fears about Medinah Temple’s temporary future as casino

‘The Las Vegas strip is not going to be on your doorstep,’ said Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chief Engagement Officer Martina Hone.

Chicago Sun-Times

City Council approves Bally’s $1.7 billion casino in River West

The plan for a casino along the Chicago River passed 41-7, but not before a screaming match between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, who accused her of being “more worried about campaign contributions than doing the right thing for the city of Chicago.”

Chicago Sun-Times

$1.7 billion Bally’s Chicago casino clears key hurdle

Thanks to a push from organized labor, a special City Council committee approved an ordinance authorizing Bally’s to build a $1.7 billion permanent casino in River West, preceded by a temporary home at Medinah Temple.

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