Bally's Corporation, a popular gaming & interactive entertainment company headquartered in the Providence area of Rhode Island, has confirmed that it has once again delayed the debut of its temporary Chicago casino. Initially, the regional casino operator had plans to start building the temporary gambling-friendly facility at Medinah Temple in Chicago’s River North vicinity in June and finish it by July or August, following the Illinois Gaming Board’s (IGB’s) approval. However, gaming enthusiasts will now have to wait until at least September this year.

The announcement about the delay in the construction and opening of the temporary property was recently made by the operator in conjunction with its second-quarter (Q2) earnings report.

In a conference call with analysts on Thursday, Bally’s Corp. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Marcus Glover admitted that the company was a little delayed from what it had communicated to analysts and gaming enthusiasts last time on opening.

The gambling-friendly Medinah Temple property in question, located at 600 N. Wabash Ave., will be in service of consumers until the construction of the permanent property is completed. The site in question has had multiple uses ever since it was constructed more than a century ago, but it has sat idle since 2020.

The Medinah Temple venue is almost nearly ready as the company has already equipped it with gaming machines. Now, it is testing the working of wagering operations, results of which will likely soon be presented to the city. Once that barrier is crossed, the venue’s path to opening will become cleared. The temporary casino is being considered as a prelude to the operator’s $1.7 billion permanent integrated resort (IR) in Chicago.

The permanent IR will reportedly be the first of its kind in Chicago as well as the operator’s most expensive casino project to date. It is expected to be up and running sometime in the year of 2026. Analysts are of the view that the permanent facility will provide a big boost to Bally’s business as well as its shares.

In a recently released report, Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon stated, “Beyond 2024E, we believe EBITDAR growth should continue and significantly step up when BALY opens the $1.7bn Chicago CBD property in June 2026, which we currently assign as $1 of valuation, but it could be as high as $7 of value if successful.”

In Chicago, Casinos are seen as essential revenue generators and economic boosters, thanks to thousands of jobs and corporate taxes that they generate every year.