Providence, Rhode Island-headquartered Bally’s Corporation has announced that its temporary casino in Chicago is expected to be up and running early next month. According to emerging media reports, the long-awaited temporary gambling-friendly property in Chicago could make debut soon after the Labor Day holiday, i.e., on September 4, 2023.

The Medinah Temple, a large Moorish Revival building in Chicago constructed by Shriners architects Huehl & Schmid in more than a century ago, will serve as the temporary home to Bally’s soon-to-be-opened Chicago casino.

A team of officials from the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) will soon visit the Medinah Temple to see if it is ok for the temporary casino. Most probably, the team will visit the site on 5th of September. On the subsequent two days, practice gaming sessions will be conducted. During these days, the facility will not be opened to the members of the general public. If everything goes well, the casino could start welcoming guests (general public) on 9th of September.

It may be noted here that the practice gaming sessions, which are conducted by regulatory staff or an outside auditing firm, is a prerequisite for issuing a permit to a temporary casino to start operations. Without speculating on the timeline for temporary venue’s opening, the Gaming Control Board said that final decision will be taken by Administrator Marcus Fruchter.

Speaking on the topic, a spokesperson for the IGB said, “Based on the results of the operations assessment/audit and practice gaming sessions, Administrator (Marcus) Fruchter will determine whether and to what extent to allow gaming to operate at Medinah Temple.”

Bally’s temporary casino open, which was initially scheduled to open by the end of this month, is expected to generate $55 million per annum for Chicago. It is going to be a prelude to Bally’s $1.7 billion permanent integrated resort (IR), which is said to be first of its kind in Chicago and Bally’s most expensive project so far. The permanent facility will reside at the Freedom Center, a thirty-acre riverfront property.

The permanent casino venue has been predicted to deliver at least $200 million per annum to Chicago. In addition to generating a new stream of tax revenue for the city, the planned permanent facility will likely provide a big boost to the local economy by generating employment for thousands of people. It is expected to open in sometime in the year of 2026.