Casino Near Downtown Chicago
The Horseshoe Hammond and Rivers Casinos are both within 18 miles of downtown and both had just over $425 million in gaming revenue last year, far surpassing the other six area casinos. Here’s a rundown of Chicago’s eight casinos, in order of proximity to downtown. We’ve included the estimated driving times per Google maps. The high figure is the worst case scenario if you are driving there on the busiest time, late Friday afternoon. (Each colored pin represents one of the 8 casinos. Hotel Blake, known previously as the 19th century Morton Building, breathes new life as a premier Chicago luxury hotel along the historic Printer’s Row. Guests will enjoy personalized service and a quaint and welcoming vibe near the top attractions and things to do in the city. Silversmith Hotel is in downtown Chicago in the Loop neighborhood near Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. If you’re flying in, we’re 18.6 miles (about 40 minutes) from Chicago O'Hare International Airport and 15 miles (about 30 minutes) from Midway International Airport.
This summer, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office asked interested parties to answer questions about a potential casino in the city. The office recently released a non-binding summary of the responses from 11 operators, including casino operators Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts and a partnership between Rush Street Gaming and developer Related Midwest. Real estate developers D3 Realty, Development Management Associates, JDL and R2 Companies also responded.
Lightfoot said the city is now “one step closer to bringing the long-awaited Chicago casino to life.” She said the responses from the 11 firms contain “critical information we need to ensure this project will be a success.”
Casino Near Downtown Chicago Il
Eight of the respondents stated the casino should be built in or near downtown, agreeing with a 2019 feasibility study that recommended the Chicago casino be located “in a tourist-centric location that also enjoys, if possible, decent access to the local population.”
Casino Near Downtown Chicago Deal Of The Day
This could lead to pressure for Lightfoot from south and westside aldermen who want the casino in their wards, since it could create hundreds of jobs that have been passed over for private and public investments. Lightfoot previously said she would “work to put a casino in a place where we can spur economic growth as part of a larger economic development initiative.” Governor J.B. Pritzker also has commented he’d prefer the casino be developed in an area that has not benefited from the recent Chicago downtown development boom. The casino site will be selected after “a robust community engagement process,” that includes public meetings, officials said.
According to the summary, six of the 11 respondents who said they would operate a temporary casino during the two to three years it would take to build a permanent facility noted it should be downtown, but not in the same location as a permanent casino. They said the cash flow from a temporary casino would help pay for the larger venue, provide earlier tax revenue and create jobs. Three said a temporary casino would add extra cost, detract from the permanent facility and create confusion in the marketplace.
The summary also indicated the final choice for a Chicago casino should have adequate parking and be in a visible location near city amenities with the “ability to leverage the Chicago riverfront.” Ten of the 11 respondents stated the casino must include a hotel with 100 to 750 rooms, 25,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet of convention, entertainment and retail space, with a 100,000-square-foot to 200,000-square-foot gaming floor. One said it would use existing Chicago hotels but possibly build one later.
The information in the responses will be used to create a formal request for proposals early next year, depending on the Covid-19 situation, officials stated. The respondents “agreed that the current Covid-19 pandemic will have no or minimal impact on the finally constructed casino facility given the timeline for selecting and licensing a casino operator and construction of the casino complex,” according to the mayor’s office.