Tropicana Las Vegas operator Bally’s Corp. is focused on opening a temporary casino on Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago later this year. The facility is a prelude to the company’s planned $1.7 billion resort complex at the former Chicago Tribune plant along the Chicago River.

The permanent casino opens in 2026.

Bally’s is finishing redevelopment projects on its casinos in Rhode Island, Atlantic City and Kansas City in order to give its full attention to the Chicago project.

That doesn’t mean Las Vegas is an afterthought.

Bally’s President George Papanier said last week the Rhode Island-based casino company, which operates 15 casinos in 10 states, wanted a national presence, and having a location in Las Vegas was “a necessity.”