Over the course of the last few months, the casino committee of Chicago alongside the Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, had narrowed down their options to only three casinos for the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB). If you are not familiar with the options, they are;
- Rivers 78 near Chinatown
- Hard Rock One Central in the South Loop
- Bally’s in River North
As would be expected, the locals had mixed reactions as far as the proximity of the casinos were. While some were elated with the prospects of development and hope for employment, others were appalled that there was now a casino establishment within their neighborhood. The opposing side floated some of their concerns;
A possible decline in property value – Many feared that an area that was in close proximity to a casino would not be a highly sort after residential area. For fear of early exposure to gambling related activities, it was believed that people would try to keep their children as far away from the area as they could. Another reason for the decline of property value was the fact that the area would go quite in the business sense. Most casino establishments are comprised of support businesses such as spas, restaurants, bars, lounge and retails sportsbooks. It would therefore be a bad idea for someone to think of opening one of these businesses on the outside.
Increase of traffic –every gambling enthusiast would grab the opportunity to attend a live game whether as a participant or spectator. As it is, many betting fans admit to enjoying live viewing more than streamed events. Imagine the traffic that would build up in a residential area as people try to make their way to the neighborhood casino. For as long as there is a live event taking place in the neighborhood casino venue, roads would be impassable and greatly inconvenience the residents.
Increase in crime rate – gambling is a social activity that attracts all manner of individuals. Having a casino within a local community setup is akin to leaving your house doors and windows when you leave for the day. The concern is that both good and bad people will have access to the area and this will expose property, children, pets and adults too to untold uncertainty.
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Collaborating to coexist
In May 2022, the casino committee of Chicago chose Bally’s as the winner of a bid that allows Illinois online casino operators to set up businesses in the state. Although it was a happy moment for stakeholders, the River North residents were not amused. Since there is no way to fight this decision, the locals have ceased all opposition to the idea that they will soon have a Bally’s casino operating in their area. To control the harmful impact of the move on their community, the residents are lobbying for changes in the construction plans.
Instead of an outdoor music venue as has been proposed in the plan, the lobby group is asking the operator to consider building a public park instead. People often seek peace and quiet while in their houses and having a venue that blasts loud music from close by does not help the situation. If this change is adopted, the residents will be saved the agony of loud music menace from the riverfront.
According to the president of the River North Residents Association (RNRA), Brian Israel, there is a place and time for loud sounds and people should be allowed to choose what to listen to and when. There are concerts going on every now and then but he considers it inappropriate to have one happening from across the street.
In a response that Bally’s made to the requests made by the RNRA, the betting provider admits that they made a wrong judgment when factoring in the amenities. The casino brand assumed that the people of River North will be happy to have an outdoor performance venue close to them. Having received the concerns and acknowledged them, Bally’s promised to consider the request as well as others which might be brought up by other groups.
The three concerns we have discussed above are just a tip of the iceberg compared to what the people feel about construction of Bally’s casino. A total of 42 concerns were collected by the RNRA. Some of the key proposals that came out strongly in the concerns were;
- Do away with the bridge that had been suggested as a link to Ward Park.
- Make sure that all the vehicles (including maintenance, security, hospitality, shuttles, etc.) that will be used by Bally’s are painted a solid green color and run on renewable fuels
- Consider the inclusion of exit ramps to connect the Ohio-Ontario feeder to the casino
- The casino management to have security patrols conducted within a four-block radius of both the temporary and permanent casinos
- The casino to set up and commit annual revenue of 2% to problem gambling initiatives and treatment programs
According to the RNRA, some of the concerns the local community had could be dealt with if the casino was ready to spend part of their revenue on mitigation programs. On the issue of installing multiple exit ramps for instance, Bally’s responded with own concerns of high budget requirements and pessimism of getting approval from the Illinois DOT.
Final Thoughts
The RNRA did raise some key points that even the local authorities had not thought of before. It is important for Bally’s to work closely with the Chicago Police Dept as well as other bodies if they value goodwill from the locals. At the moment, the casino has plenty of time to implement changes and adjust their building plan because they are yet to receive IGB approval. An important step that the casino has taken is to organize a team which will meet with local groups before the final proposal for the construction is made.
