Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s race to secure $40 million in upfront payments from Bally’s to keep police and fire pensions solvent and stave off a pre-election property tax increase cleared a key hurdle Monday with committee approval of a long-sought Chicago casino.
Thanks to the lobbying muscle of organized labor, a special City Council committee stacked with the mayor’s hand-picked committee chairs approved an ordinance authorizing Bally’s to build a $1.7 billion permanent casino at Chicago and Halsted in River West, a temporary casino at Medinah Temple in River North and a host agreement with Bally’s.
