The residents of Chicago are considering the few proposed locations for a new casino venue in the city, with public meetings being held from April 5th to April 7th for each one of the three contenders.
As mentioned above, the public meetings started on Tuesday and are set to continue through Thursday to discuss the proposals unveiled by Hard Rock, Bally’s Tribune and Rivers 78. The meetings are being streamed live, with in-person priority being provided to Chicago residents who live in the respective regions that are set to host the projects.
In an official announcement, city officials have noted that every one of the three meetings will be held in the presence of the bidder and Chicago residents will have the chance to share their opinions on the matter and ask questions about the companies’ projects. Once the public meetings are through, the city officials are set to evaluate the three finalists and choose the winning bid. The selected participant is expected to be announced this summer. Of course, any chosen casino project will have to be officially approved by the Chicago City Council and the Illinois Gaming Board.
At the time when the three finalists were announced, Chicago officials have highlighted how important it is for the selected casino to have a minority investment of at least 25%.
Hard Rock, Bally’s Corporation and Rivers 78 Compete for the Chicago Casino License
In March, the process of finally bringing a casino to the city of Chicago make another big step forward when the office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that a total of 3 bidders had been chosen to proceed to the next stage in the competition for the casino operating permit. The license has been the only one approved for the city by the Illinois Government. As mentioned above, it will now involve a competition between Hard Rock, Ballys and Rivers 78.
On April 5th, Hard Rock was given the chance to present its project to the public. The company has unveiled a $1.74-million lakefront casino construction project in a location near Soldier Field, saying that the facility would include not only a casino with 166 gaming tables and more than 3,000 slot machines but also a 500-room hotel tower and a live music venue featuring 3,500 seats, several restaurants, bars, and lounges. As revealed by Hard Rock, if approved, its project will see a temporary casino open in early 2024, while a permanent casino location is expected to start operation in late 2025.
The public meeting that took place on April 6th was focused on Bally’s Corporation and its casino project, worth $1.74 billion. The project includes a casino, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000 seat theater, a park, an outdoor music venue, a number of restaurants, a sports museum, a pedestrian bridge, and an extension of the Chicago Riverwalk. The proposed casino would feature more than 150 gaming tables and up to 3,400 slot machines. A temporary casino is set to start operation in 2023, while the permanent location is set to officially open in early 2026.
The final one will be held later today, April 7th, and will focus on the Rivers 78 bid for Chicago. The casino project of the company is worth $1.62 billion and involves the establishment of a casino featuring 190 table games and over 2,600 slot machines, a 300-room hotel tower, a riverfront area venue for live entertainment, an observation tower, a riverfront area, as well as a number of restaurants. The gambling firm has estimated that a temporary casino could start operation at the proposed site in early 2024, and the permanent location would be able to open doors in late 2025.
