“We don’t operate, own or partially own casino property located elsewhere within the Chicagoland market,” it said. Without mentioning Rivers and its existing Des Plaines casino, the company claims that it is “conflict-free” with no other interest in the Chicago market. Bally’s primary selling point is a global brand that it claims will draw additional visitors to Chicago. The price tag is $1 billion for Phase 1 with the potential for $600 million more in a “follow-up phase, subject to achieving a sustainable, 20% on initial investment.” The entertainment component would include a River West outpost for the legendary comedy club “Second City.” The Bally Sports Bar would feature “constant celebrity athlete events” and a “truly immersive sports experience” that includes a museum highlighting Chicago’s sports history. The permanent casino would include 2,700 slots and 95 table games. Developers propose using adjacent property north of Chicago Avenue as a temporary casino site. where the Tribune and Sun-Times are now printed. Pritzker’s plan to use part of the property for a University of Illinois tech research center.īally’s at the Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center: This development would be on a site at 777 W. It also has a potential political problem. Rivers 78: This proposal for the long-vacant, 62-acre South Loop site once owned by convicted political player Tony Rezko carries a $1.6 billion price tag. Developers further claim there is “ample parking” and that the 2,900 existing hotel rooms are already connected by a covered walkway. Rivers touts its proposal as bankrolling “much-needed restoration and deferred maintenance” of Lakeside Center that McCormick Place officials would otherwise have difficulty funding. Some in the convention business don’t want a casino so close to the existing complex for fear it would distract conventioneers off the exhibition floor. It calls for an updated Arie Crown Theater and would provide direct access to the existing, more modern and better-utilized McCormick Place convention halls. The estimated cost for 2,600 gaming positions is $1.3 billion - $700 million less than the most expensive proposal.

Rivers Chicago McCormick: This proposed rebirth of the underutilized Lakeside Center could be the least expensive and the quickest to market in an estimated 12 months.

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