Bally’s Addresses Locals’ Concerns Over Temporary Casino in Chicago

On November 29, Bally’s representatives and Chicago city officials arranged a community meeting with local residents to address their concerns in connection with Bally’s temporary casino, which will occupy the Medinah Temple.

Local Residents’ Concerns Were Heard by Bally’s Executives and Chicago Officials

Chicago Sun-Times reported that Chicago city officials and Bally’s leaders met with local residents on Tuesday at the Voco hotel located on the Chicago riverfront. 

The meeting’s goal was to address any concerns the representatives of the local community and adjacent businesses may have regarding the temporary casino that Bally’s is going to operate at Medinah Temple until its permanent location at the Chicago River bank on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street is completed.

Tuesday’s event was one in a series of meetings that Chicago city’s representatives arranged in order to discuss the Medinah Temple’s transformation into a temporary gambling venue.

On this meeting’s agenda were the ways Bally’s is going to contribute to the local job market. Bally’s vice president of corporate development Christopher Jewett together with Bally’s senior vice president of regional operations Ameet Patel presented their plans for upcoming job fairs and other local initiatives the company has in store for the months after the opening of the temporary casino.

Parking – a Major Pain Point for Local Residents and Businesses

A lot of residents and local businesses expressed their worries that there is no parking lot at the Medinah Temple, which means that the guests at the temporary casino will saturate the parking spaces available in the area around the venue. 

Addressing these concerns, Tim Doron, who is the project’s head traffic consultant, presented a report on the parking opportunities in the area surrounding the location. 

The report findings showed that there are over 5,000 parking spots available in the parking lots in the area. As per estimations, these will be enough to take on the increased demand in connection with guests coming to the casino.

Doron’s presentation also elaborated on how the traffic, parking and zones for loading and unloading will function once the casino opens.

Another presentation was made by Eric Carter, the first deputy superintendent of the Chicago police. Carter elaborated on the police’s collaboration regarding a plan for public safety around the casino. 

Bally’s is going to hire security guards and install additional surveillance cameras, while the Chicago police will increase their patrols in the area and will organize special training courses for the police officers regarding common criminal activities linked to casinos.