Graffiti on Bally's Chicago tower reflects casino delays
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Bally's hotel tower in the background shows a center panel of concrete that is now tagged with graffiti. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
Graffiti on the exterior of Bally's Chicago hotel tower has sat untouched for at least two months, becoming emblematic of the casino project's construction delays.
Why it matters: Bally's has faced a series of setbacks in its River West casino, hotel and entertainment project. Its August announcement that it was pausing work added another wrinkle in the long-awaited project that promises to pour about $200 million into city pensions annually.
Zoom in: Three large vertical tags appeared at the top of the Bally's 34-story hotel in August, according to multiple reports.
Flashback: Bally's notified the Chicago Community Builders Collective (CCBC) on Aug. 9 that it was "resetting the pace of construction of elements of Bally's Chicago permanent casino," according to a statement shared with Axios in August.
- CCBC is the general contractor for the Bally's project. Chicago requires new construction to include minority and women-owned businesses.
Context: The stoppage was the next step in Bally's standoff with the city after City Council passed a 2026 budget that legalized video gambling terminals.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson battled alders over that budget and neither signed nor vetoed it.
What they said: "The potential for an uncontrolled proliferation of video gambling terminals (VGTs) is in breach of the City's commitment not to expand gaming in the Host Community Agreement (HCA) and creates uncertainty that could be harmful for Bally's Chicago prospects," Bally's statement said.
State of play: Bally's paused work on nongaming amenities, the company says.
- "Crews are currently focused on the casino floor and supporting amenities, with work progressing in accordance with the HCA," the spokesperson says.
- Bally's is not commenting on the graffiti, the spokesperson adds.
Between the lines: Some alders hinted that Bally's work pause was about more than VGTs. At a September committee meeting, downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly challenged Bally's on whether VGTs really threaten the company's ability to earn the revenue it projected.
- It's "hard for me to understand because we have so many casinos operating in the suburbs. Where guess what's also legal? VGT. And it doesn't seem that those casino operators raise the same concerns that you did," Reilly said.
When Reilly asked point-blank whether the casino operator had the money to continue the project, Bally's senior vice president of corporate development Christopher Jewett gave a simple response: "Yes."
Yes, but: The Illinois Gaming Board has issued 78 video gaming establishment licenses to applicants in Chicago, but the city has yet to issue any permits, leaving operators in limbo.
The bottom line: Johnson needs to figure out how to appease both Bally's and local businesses eager for revenue they predict VGTs will bring.
In the meantime, you can admire the work of Chicago's graffiti artists every time you're on Grand or the expressway.