Bally's temporary casino inside Medinah Temple was approved to run through September 9, 2026. That date passed a month ago, and the casino at 600 N. Wabash is still open 24/7. Bally's own site still promises its permanent resort is "Coming 2027." The deadline moved because Springfield changed the rules in June. The rule change only buys time, though. When the casino actually moves out depends on what happens at a construction site on Chicago Avenue, where most non-gaming work stopped in August.
The Deadline That Came and Went
For most of the past three years the end date seemed settled. Here is how it moved:
- September 2023. Bally's opened its temporary casino in Medinah Temple. In October 2023 the Illinois Gaming Board gave it one more year at the site, for a total three-year run ending September 9, 2026.
- January 2026. Block Club Chicago reported that Bally's wanted to extend its River North stay because the permanent casino might not open until 2027. The proposal could have run the temporary license through September 2027, and Bally's called the extension a precaution.
- April 30, 2026. The structural frame at the permanent site topped out.
- June 11, 2026. The Gaming Board voted unanimously to let its Administrator approve a 12-month extension, from September 6, 2026 to September 9, 2027. That approval could only take effect once the governor signed a pending amendment to the Illinois Gambling Act.
- June 16, 2026. Senate Bill 3019, which carried that amendment, was signed and became Public Act 104-0468.
- September 9, 2026. The original end date passed with the casino still open.
What the Law Changed, and What the Board Asked For
The change in Public Act 104-0468 is short. The Gambling Act allows a casino to run from a temporary facility for up to 24 months. For a licensee in Bally's category, the amendment lets the Gaming Board extend that period by up to 48 months, up from 30. It also changes the wording from "shall" to "may," so the Board can grant an extension but is not required to. Bally's asked for less than the maximum. The extension the Board considered in June runs 12 months, to September 9, 2027.
Two details matter here. First, the Board's June 11 minutes gave its Administrator the authority to approve the extension once the law was signed. The public materials we reviewed do not include a separate final approval order after that. What we can confirm is that the law took effect in June and the casino has kept operating.
Second, Bally's is not the only operator the change affects. At the same meeting the Board voted the same way on a request from American Place, the temporary casino operated by FHR-Illinois LLC. That approval adds 18 months, from August 18, 2027 to February 17, 2029. The amendment changed the timelines for more than one temporary casino in Illinois.
The Clock That Matters Is on Chicago Avenue
How much of that extension Bally's actually uses depends on when the permanent casino at Chicago Avenue and Halsted in River West is ready. The schedule there looked steady until this summer.
In a July construction update, Bally's said it was aiming for a spring 2027 opening and building the gaming floor before the rest of the resort. Then on August 10, WTTW reported that Bally's had stopped work on the hotel, concert venue and restaurants. The company said the city's approval of video gaming terminals conflicted with its host community agreement.
A month later, the City Council called Bally's officials in for a hearing. WTTW's September 9 report said the hearing ended without a resolution. Bally's officials defended the pause and said the casino was still on schedule. WTTW also reported that Bally's had laid off 12% of the 1,500 workers building the hotel, concert venue and restaurant. The same day, Crain's Chicago Business reported that Bally's had paid the city $4 million it had threatened to withhold. Crain's still described the video gaming dispute as unresolved.
As of mid-October, we have found no report that the dispute has been settled or that the paused work has restarted. A mid-September Chicago Business Journal report said Bally's leadership was holding to an early-2027 opening despite the change in construction order. Because the gaming floor is being built first, the casino portion could open in River West before the hotel and event center do. Either way, the date the casino leaves Medinah Temple now depends on that site.
What's Open Behind the Domes This Fall
For now, the 1912 building still works as a casino, and a few things inside have changed since opening year. Admission is limited to guests 21 and older.
- Tre Denari Trattoria. In September 2025, Axios Chicago reported that Tre Denari had replaced the third-floor Medinah Bistro. It is a 40-seat, wood-paneled room serving Italian-American dishes, with One Off Hospitality helping on the menu and local sourcing. Bally's entertainment page says Tre Denari food is also available at the Third Level Bar, Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m.
- Kitchen 888, Wabash Café, Center Bar and Third Level Bar. These are the other food and drink options on the casino's current homepage. Kitchen 888 is listed as open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- The music. Axios described a 360-degree stage visible from all three levels, with The Divas performing behind the ground-floor bar. The October calendar lists DJ sets at Center Bar from DJ Speed, DJ Laura B, DJ Corzo, DJ Mike Carbone & Johnny V, DJ Lawrence K and DJ Khanh. DJ Speed plays Thursday, October 15, from 8 to 11 p.m., and DJ Laura B plays Friday, October 16, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
None of this is likely to move with the casino in its current form. The permanent resort will have its own restaurants and event center once that work resumes. These rooms belong to Medinah Temple's casino period, which now has an expected end date.
The Building Is Already Being Marketed for Its Next Use
The casino is the latest in a series of reuses. Medinah Temple was built in 1912 as the Shriners' Chicago headquarters. Huehl & Schmid designed it in the Islamic Revival style around a 4,200-seat auditorium. The annual winter Shrine Circus began there in 1943 and raised money for Shrine hospitals and charities. In 1996 Landmarks Illinois put the building on its list of the state's most endangered historic places, at a time when a developer planned to demolish it. The city designated it a Chicago Landmark on June 27, 2001. Tree Studios, Annexes and Courtyard next door received its own designation the same day. In February 2003 it reopened as the country's first Bloomingdale's Home Store, which occupied it until 2020.
Owner Albert Friedman is already planning the next use. Preservation Chicago's July 31 account, drawing on Chicago Tribune reporting, quotes him on his approach:
"I'm completely open-minded. I want to come up with the highest and best use for the future of the property."
The same account says he has started a worldwide search for tenants. Ideas under discussion range from a boutique hotel to a physical mall for online retailers. Any reuse would mean reconfiguring the 132,600-square-foot interior while keeping historic features like the stained glass windows and the theater proscenium. No tenant has been announced. "It's not just a warehouse, it's not a box," Friedman told the Tribune, as Preservation Chicago quotes him. "It's an architectural landmark."
That leaves three timelines running at once. The extension the Gaming Board considered for Medinah Temple runs to September 9, 2027. The River West opening depends on how and when the video gaming dispute is settled. And the building's owner is already looking for the tenant that will follow the casino. If those dates hold, the block of Wabash between Ohio and Ontario will change again within the next year or so.
What happens to a landmark like Medinah Temple affects the condo buildings, galleries and restaurants around it, and our team tracks each step at Spradling | Roberts. If you own near Wabash and Ohio and want to talk through how the next tenant could change your block, schedule a private consultation or browse our River North neighborhood guide.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
