Bally’s temporary casino in Chicago recently announced a new VIP lounge with upgraded amenities for its Superstar and Legend status customers.
Movin’ On Up
Bally’s temporary casino in Chicago, Illinois is housed inside the Medinah Temple, a brown brick Moorish Revival building built in 1912 at 600 North Wabash Avenue. It’s a far different look on the outside from the glitzy gambling palaces seen on the Las Vegas Strip and elsewhere. However, it is only a temporary facility until Bally’s builds its permanent location, projected to be completed in 2026.
But while the construction is underway, Bally’s is determined to make the temporary facility as accommodating as possible to its clientele. Although hours were restricted to 8 AM to 4 AM when Bally’s opened in September 2023, the Illinois Gaming Board approved a 24/7 operation in late December after a sluggish start from a revenue perspective.
General Manager Mark Wong said at the time, “Opening our doors 24/7 is an important step as we continue to increase our visitation. 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.”
Business has begun to pick up and the company recently announced a new VIP Lounge where preferred customers can help themselves to complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages in a comfortable environment with spacious seating and plenty of TVs. It is located on the third floor and there will also be a VIP Player Services window available on Fridays and Saturdays that will offer Player’s Club features and cashier transactions for Legend and Superstar Bally’s Rewards Members.
“As an exclusive benefit for VIP Bally Rewards members, the Bally’s Chicago VIP Lounge offers a relaxing space away from the gaming floor to socialize and enjoy complimentary food and non-alcoholic drinks,” said Wong.
“Combined with our new high-limit slots and VIP Player Services window, all located conveniently on the third floor, our highly tailored VIP experience makes for an exceptional time at Bally’s Chicago Casino,” he added.
Windy City Palace
Bally’s permanent casino in Chicago will be a state-of-the-art $1.7 billion architectural stunner hovering above the Chicago River. It will feature 500 hotel rooms on a 30-acre parcel located at the former Tribune Publishing site. After securing its final round of financing, it was announced the project would be completed all at once instead of in phases as many other projects of this magnitude are often constructed.
“We’ve been working hard in the background to restore the full hotel tower for Bally’s Chicago Casino and absolutely intend to meet the September 2026 opening date as planned,” George Papanier, president of Bally’s Corporation, said in a statement. “We are also happy to announce that Gaming and Leisure Properties has agreed to finance this entire development in a single phase to ultimately deliver a better project in a more efficient manner.”
