Bally's tops $10M in revenue at temporary Chicago casino

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CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bally's temporary Chicago casino at the Medinah Temple building in River North is starting the New Year strong.

The company reported it surpassed $10 million in gross gaming revenue in January – up $6.8 million from its first month of operation back in September, and up 9.1 percent from December.

Bally's noted that the Chicago casino was its only Illinois property to show month-over-month revenue growth, despite poor weather conditions.

The casino credits free parking and shuttle service for its growth.

"Bally's is pleased to announce the results of our phased opening of our Chicago property. January was our highest Gaming Revenue month to date, and we continue to see strong visitor counts," Mark Wong, vice president and general manager of Bally's Chicago, said in a news release. "More customers are taking advantage of our free parking and free shuttle service, which continues to grow in popularity. We look forward to implementing valet parking, introducing more shuttle and bus routes, and creating new VIP areas to meet customer demands."

Bally's noted that since the Medinah Temple casino opened in September, monthly gross gaming revenue has grown from $6.8 million to $10.8 million. Admissions have topped 88,000 – the second highest in the state.

Bally's also noted that it is now employing more than 620 people – of whom 82 percent are minorities, more than half are women, and 63 percent are Chicago residents.

Profits for the new casino were lower than expected in its first three months. In January, Illinois Gaming Board records show the casino generated $30 million in profit in its first three months. The city gets $3.1 million of that.

That figure was far short of the $12.8 million the city had forecasted for itself – making for a $9.7 million shortfall in dollars earmarked to pay Chicago's police and fire pensions. 

Bally's is expected to break ground on its permanent site in River West later this year. That location is scheduled to open in 2026.