Local Official Slams Bally’s Casino Chicago Traffic Report

The Illinois Gaming Board has presented another hurdle in the licensing process for Bally’s Casino Chicago.

Recently, Bally’s officials presented a report stating that a temporary casino in the Medinah Temple will not cause a surge in neighbourhood traffic. However, a Chicago alderperson still criticized the report.

The Medinah Temple is located between Ontario and Ohio Streets to the north and south, with Wabash Ave to the east and State St to the west.

Bally’s intends to open its temporary casino in the summer of 2023, which will stay operational until the permanent location is ready. As of now, there’s no set timeline for when the permanent casino will open, but the construction is expected to last a few years.

Bally’s intends to construct its permanent casino on the empty site of the Chicago Tribune’s former printing press and newsroom, located along the Chicago River.

Report: temporary casino will not negatively affect local traffic

The report indicates that Bally’s Medinah Temple casino has not negatively affected traffic in the surrounding area.

The study examined images of traffic captured on a Thursday and Friday in May. It is anticipated in the report that the temporary casino will contribute to 462 additional vehicle trips in the local area during the weekday rush hour. On Friday evenings, the report predicts an increase of 516 new trips. These are recognized as the busiest visiting hours for casinos.

The report also forecasts that a mere 60% of gamblers will drive to the casino, while the rest, which is 40%, will either walk, bike, or utilize public transport.

Moreover, the study pointed out that over 5,000 nearby parking spaces should be sufficient to meet the peak demand of 500 at any given time. The availability of garage parking is particularly beneficial since Medinah Temple does not offer on-site parking.

The report also asserts that the use of valet service and traffic control officers during rush hours will aid in maintaining smooth traffic flow.

Alderperson: study is seriously flawed, overly vague

Brendan Reilly, the alderperson of Chicago’s 42nd Ward, was forthright in expressing his views on the report.

Reilly stated that the report’s results did not surprise him, given that Bally’s had commissioned V3 Companies and Fish Transportation Group to carry out the study.

Throughout his 16-year tenure, he has never observed a project-funded company study yield a negative traffic report.

Reilly said:

In my opinion, this study is significantly flawed and excessively ambiguous. It is evidently designed to only support the conclusion that a casino would succeed at Medinah Temple. Over the years, I’ve reviewed countless traffic studies and I must say, this one is unconvincing and lacks the substantiation that an independent analysis could have offered.

Reilly’s initial complaint about the study is the unrealistic prediction of how many bettors will walk or use public transportation.

“He stated, ‘No one would be foolish enough to travel on the CTA or walk to a casino carrying cash.’ He further expressed his strong disagreement with the numerous assumptions made in the report and contended that the new vehicle trips were greatly underestimated.”

Reilly also challenges the evidence used in comparing Bally’s Chicago to casinos in other major cities:

The consultant asserts that their trip projections were made based on other casinos in densely populated, heavily constructed urban areas similar to Chicago. However, I find this hard to accept considering there are no other casinos in cities as big as Chicago.

Should you manage to find even a single valet in Chicago who has ever ‘bettered traffic conditions’ at a specific place, then I have a Brooklyn bridge to sell you.