Chicago aldermen hold hearing on Bally's casino construction slowdown, dispute over video gambling terminals

Chicago aldermen held a hearing Wednesday to get to the bottom of why the Bally's casino has slowed down construction on its sprawling new flagship property in River West.

The company has maintained their decision to hat work on the non-gambling parts of the site is in protest of the city's decision to legalize video gambling terminals in bars, restaurants and convenience stores. That decision was part of the alternative budget that the City Council wrote and passed after Mayor Brandon Johsnson proposed a budget bringing back the city's corporate head tax for large corporations. Instead of that tax revenue, the alders instead are relying on revenue from legalized video gambling, among other things.

But testimony from Illinois casino magnate Rick Heidner called that claim into question. Heidner, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Illinois governor earlier this year, poured cold water on the company's claims they view video gambling legalization as an existential threat, saying they seemed pretty excited about video gaming coming to Chicago when they were in talks with him.

He said he met with Bally's executive at least half a dozen times over several months.

A Bally's executive didn't directly answer when asked if they tried to buy Heidner's company, but did say that until the dispute over video gambling terminals with the city is resolved, they will only commit to operating 100 of the 500 planned hotel rooms at the River West complex.