The Chicago City Council has approved a $1.7 billion proposal by Bally’s Corp. to build the city’s first casino, a project that has been championed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration as integral to reducing the city’s steep pension costs.
The city council voted 41 to 7 to move forward with the proposal, a win for Lightfoot who sees the endeavor as a key to Chicago’s economic rebound. While the idea of a casino in Chicago has been debated on for more than three decades, Wednesday’s vote comes after a yearlong process by the city that included sifting through five proposals from three companies.
