EDITORIAL: Chicago made a deal with Bally’s casino. It did not include video gaming terminals in bars.

Some five years ago, Chicago entered into a so-called Host Community Agreement (HCA) with the gaming company Bally’s, the city’s choice as the operator of the first Chicago casino. In that 214-page agreement, brokered by the Lori Lightfoot administration for better or worse, Bally’s made a whole variety of commitments, including how many Chicagoans it would hire and their union status, the level and scope of the amenities in the casino and a bevy of other conditions arguably unprecedented for a private business in the city. The city also demanded payments: $40 million on the signing of the agreement and then an additional $4 million a year in “direct” and “indirect” impact fees.