As part of its proposal, Bally’s agreed to create “well-paying union jobs” and hire 50% of the projected 3,000 employees for its permanent facility from within Chicago. “But pretty soon, there isn’t going to be anywhere to play,” he said.īally’s put out the help wanted sign in May and fielded more than 15,000 applications to fill 900 full- and part-time positions to staff the temporary casino, the company said. Visitors filed in under Medinah Temple’s old stained glass windows, offset now by a tall red sign reading “We live to play Chicago.”Īs a second door opened around 8:20 a.m., Travis Clarke, director of public safety at Bally’s Chicago, walked up and down the line pumping his hands in the air.Ĭaicco had no trouble getting into the casino and finding a spot to play, he said. Modern casino amenities include six new brightly lit washrooms.ĭespite traffic and crowding concerns, lines were moving quickly by 8:15 a.m. Historic touches remain, including an atrium looking up to the ornate rotunda lined with inset stained glass windows. Now the three-story, block-long building on North Wabash Avenue is filled with nearly 800 slot machines and 56 gaming tables, an expansive blue-lit center bar, two restaurants and a coffee shop.

More recently, it had been a vacant furniture store.īally’s Chicago had been renovating the 130,000-square-foot Medinah Temple since January. The quest led to an unlikely temporary destination - the landmarked, 111-year-old Moorish-style amphitheater, perhaps best known for hosting the annual Shrine Circus. Chicago has been looking to land a casino for more than three decades.

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