As construction on the 34-story Bally’s Chicago hotel steadily rises skyward over the Ohio feeder ramp, things are looking up for the region’s casinos in 2026 amid a building boom that is reshaping the gambling landscape.
Chicago-area casinos are coming off a big year in 2025, as three new facilities boosted revenue and brought millions of additional players to the tables and slot machines.
It may be a whole new game in 2026, with the $1.7 billion Bally’s Chicago casino complex and a new land-based Hollywood Casino Aurora set to open. Several other casinos are putting shovels in the ground along both sides of the Wisconsin border for future development projects.
