A disagreement about a slot machine jackpot at Bally’s temporary Chicago casino has ended. The gambler got his winnings after days of public attention and news coverage.
Chicago Casino Faces Backlash After Delaying Payment of $1,200 Slot Win
The player, an asylum seeker whose name remains secret to keep him safe, won a jackpot in late December at Bally’s gaming floor inside the Medinah Temple in River North. The win, worth a bit more than $1,200, should have been paid out through a hand pay process. Instead, the payout took longer because casino workers questioned whether his ID was real.
Reports say the man showed a limited-term Illinois driver’s license given to people with lawful temporary status in the US. He said the document was legal and the casino had taken it many times before. Since Bally’s temporary casino opened in 2023, he had won more than ten jackpots without problems using this ID.
Even with this history, casino workers first refused to give him the money, saying they were worried about his immigration status. This went on for over a week, so the gambler reached out to local news outlets. He said he was upset, and the money would have helped during the holidays. He also felt he was treated in a discriminatory way, as his ID met what the state asked for.
Bally’s Reverses Course After News Report on Unpaid Win
Right after CBS Chicago aired a report, things took a turn. The gambler told reporters that Bally’s reached out to him, said sorry, and paid him the full jackpot. The casino even threw in a free dinner as a nice gesture. He later said that the media coverage was key to solving the problem, hinting that without all the public attention, things might not have ended the same way.
Bally’s has not given a clear reason for holding back the payout at first or for approving it after the story hit the news. So far, they have not responded to requests to comment on their change of heart.
The event has sparked fresh interest in how casinos handle ID checks and tax reporting. Illinois rules say casinos must gather taxpayer details for certain slot wins, which they then report to federal officials.
People who know the industry point out that short-term REAL IDs are given out under tougher rules than regular licenses and are seen as good enough for these purposes. This issue also brings to mind wider gripes customers have about how Bally’s Chicago deals with IDs.
Online reviews often talk about mix-ups over which documents work for people from other countries. While the casino keeps running in its temporary spot before its big new building is ready, this event shows the ongoing issues with following rules, training staff, and keeping customers’ trust in a city as diverse as Chicago.