A potential opening date for this weekend has been announced for the upcoming temporary casino at 600 N Wabash Avenue in River North. Located on the corner with E Ontario Street and within the historical Medinah Temple, the new facility will operate until the larger permanent casino is completed nearby. Rhode-Island based Bally’s has spent the summer building out the space designed by STL Architects and SOSH Architects.
Interior view of the upcoming Bally’s temporary casino via Terence Crayton and Bally’s
After facing a few delays which pushed the originally announced summer opening date, the casino now seems to be completed within the 1912-built Moorish Revival style structure. Crowned by two onion domes at each of the street corners, new signage and blade signs have been installed now for a few weeks leading up to the upcoming opening.
Interior view of the upcoming Bally’s temporary casino via Terence Crayton and Bally’s
Earlier this year we got a sneak peek into the new space as the casino received its first major approval from the Illinois Gaming Board, including the new center atrium bar on the first floor. With over 45,000 square-feet of space across all floors, this level also contains a small cafe and roughly 420 of the facility’s 750 slots. The second floor above holds 200-additional slots and 28 table games according to the Sun Times.
Interior view of the upcoming Bally’s temporary casino via Terence Crayton and Bally’s
The third floor under the restored central dome, visible all the way from the first floor atrium bar, is home to the casino’s high-rollers section with over 100 slots and 20 table games. On this level are also two sit-down restaurants serving Asian-fusion and American cuisines. Guests will also get to see plenty of the building’s original stained glass along with its main stage as part of the preservation efforts.
Interior view of the upcoming Bally’s temporary casino via Terence Crayton and Bally’s
The multi-million dollar facility will have a capacity of 3,500 people served by its over 700 workers, many of which are table dealers who underwent an extensive training process. With all of the work complete, the casino now awaits its final approval from the board which could be granted this week after its practice sessions. If approved it could open its doors this weekend, these will remain open 24/7 until the permanent complex is completed in 2026.
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not sure what is worse….Medinah Temple as a CVS or a Casino?
Too bad it’s not a Studebaker showroom….
Parking? There’s no way people are going to pay for parking and lose money. Parking is expensive in that area
There’s lots of garage parking nearby (those YIMBY-celebrated podiums!) and I’m sure the casino website will have info on various options. Maybe even offering validation?
Plenty of people drive to the Mag Mile and local attractions and somehow find a way to park. But it’s not like this is built to draw suburbanites with cars…much easier for them to hit their local casinos if they wanna gamble.
One block away from a Red Line station, multiple bus options, two blocks from Michigan Ave along with a number of parking structures nearby, seems like it is pretty well situated for the downtown walk in patrons, tourists and convention attendees.
This is a better spot than the “permanent” one.
Gee, if only there was a whole city block near by that could be used to build the permanent building, like Illinois, Rush, Hubbard, Wabash. Well, I guess not.
Answer: it’s this weekend…if you don’t want to read the entire article to discover the potential opening date mentioned in the very last sentence.
Hi Patrick, thank you for your comment – we moved the date to earlier in the article