Alders Demand Bally’s Resume Full Casino Development, Call for Public Hearing


Alders Demand Bally’s Resume Full Casino Development, Call for Public Hearing

Council Members Press Bally’s and Johnson Administration for Answers on Construction Slowdown, Financial Capacity and Enforcement of Chicago’s Casino Agreement

On Wednesday, August 13, 2026, 27 members of the Chicago City Council called on Bally’s to promptly resume construction of the full permanent Chicago casino development and announced plans for a public hearing to examine the company’s decision to slow or suspend significant non-gaming portions of the project while continuing construction of the casino itself.

In a letter to Bally’s leadership, Council members raised concerns that the construction slowdown could jeopardize thousands of union jobs, economic activity and other public benefits Chicago was promised as part of the development. They also called on the Johnson administration to enforce the Host Community Agreement (HCA) and ensure Bally’s delivers the complete project it committed to build.

“Continuing construction of the casino floor while slowing the hotel and other non-gaming portions does not eliminate those obligations. The agreement specifically provides that the deletion of a Component is a Material Change, and Material Changes require City approval. Final Completion also expressly depends upon substantial completion of the hotel, restaurants, retail, event space, exhibition space, greenspace, Riverwalk and other components—not merely opening the gaming floor,” Council members wrote.

Bally’s has suggested the slowdown is a response to the City Council’s authorization of video gaming terminals, or VGTs. However, Council members noted that while VGTs have been authorized, more is demanded by the HCA before Bally’s can justify either starting good faith renegotiations or pursuing impact fees as HCA standards also require that any new gaming must be (1) licensed, (2) actually operating on more than a “de minimis or ‘beta test’ basis,” and (3) have an “adverse impact on the Casino.” And that threshold has not yet been met. Nothing in Section 4.1 says that authorization alone permits Bally’s to slow construction of the hotel or other non-gaming portions of the development.

The letter also raises questions about Bally’s financial capacity to complete the entire development and warns that slowing construction puts union jobs, paychecks and economic activity at risk.

“This distinction matters to Chicago’s working families. The HCA expressly anticipated ‘thousands of construction jobs and direct jobs’ and identified employment, economic development, tourism and new tax revenue as core public benefits of the project. Every unnecessary slowdown threatens union jobs, paychecks and economic activity. The tradespeople building the hotel, restaurants, entertainment venues and other portions of this project should not become bargaining leverage in a dispute with the City government,” they continued.

Council members also called on the Johnson administration to enforce the Host Community Agreement and protect the jobs and public benefits dependent on the full development.

The appropriate City Council committees will call representatives of Bally’s and the Johnson administration to a public hearing to answer questions about what work has been stopped or slowed, why casino construction is continuing while other promised components are delayed, whether sufficient financing remains available to complete the project and what steps the administration is taking to enforce the agreement.

“Chicago did not enter into an agreement for a casino floor alone. It entered into an agreement for the complete development Bally’s promised to build. The Council expects Bally’s to deliver that project and expects the administration to enforce that commitment,” the Council members wrote.

The letter was signed by Alderperson Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), Pat Dowell (3rd Ward), Desmon Yancy (6th Ward), Michelle Harris (8th Ward), Anthony Beale (9th Ward), Peter Chico (10th Ward), Nicole Lee (11th Ward), Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward), Derrick Curtis (18th Ward), Matt O’Shea (19th Ward), Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward), Monique Scott (24th Ward), Felix Cardona Jr. (31st Ward), Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward), Bill Conway (34th Ward), Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward), Emma Mitts (37th Ward), Nicholas Sposato (38th Ward), Samantha Nugent (39th Ward), Anthony Napolitano (41st Ward), Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), Timmy Knudsen (43rd Ward), Bennett Lawson (44th Ward), James Gardiner (45th Ward), Debra Silverstein (50th Ward).



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