CHICAGO | City Casino

[galleyfox]

Part of the Union Gaming revenue analysis

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

The 78's observation tower confirmed to be 1,078 feet.

if built to that height, it would be the 2nd tallest observation tower in the nation behind the stratosphere tower in vegas.

[thegoatman]

Originally Posted by MAC123

Is NYC not close to that? I thought they had a massive online gambling scene. With some casino permits to be going out soon. Or have I been mistaken?

It's not top 3. Top 3 is Vegas, Atlantic City, and Chicagoland.

[thegoatman]

So it looks like it'll either be the Tribune site or 78. I'm content with either tbh, both are a win for the city.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

So it looks like it'll either be the Tribune site or 78. I'm content with either tbh, both are a win for the city.

I definitely like the Tribune proposal much more now with updated renderings and details. My favorite is still 78, but I will gladly accept the Tribune site.

I worry about the Hard Rock proposal, only because of the wildcard: Da Bears.

Do we think there is some kind of back door discussion going on to keep the Bears in the city if there's some sort of promise of having a major casino next door to help drive revenue?

I pay little attention to this sort of stuff, but I wonder about it....

[Klippenstein]

Tribune really does seem like the best bet at this point.

BlockClubChicago posted the following about public meetings.

City officials said Tuesday there will be three community meetings held for residents to discuss each of the proposals 6-8 p.m April 5-7.

In-person attendance will be prioritized for residents in the ZIP codes and then on a first-come, first-serve basis capped at 300 people. The meetings will also be live-streamed.

April 5: Hard Rock at One Central
Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street

April 6: Bally’s Tribune
Tribune Publishing Plant, 700 W. Chicago

April 7: Rivers 78
Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road

[CaptainJilliams]

Originally Posted by twister244

I worry about the Hard Rock proposal, only because of the wildcard: Da Bears.

Do we think there is some kind of back door discussion going on to keep the Bears in the city if there's some sort of promise of having a major casino next door to help drive revenue?

I've been worried about the same thing. I know a few weeks ago the mayor's office made a comment about having a "lucrative proposal" for keeping the Bears in the city. I'm almost certain that proposal would be tied to One Central.

That being said, the Bears are still focused on Arlington Heights (they hired the team behind the Raiders' Stadium to design) and don't seem to be taking the bait, so I'd like to believe the Hard Rock proposal is a distant 3rd between these finalists.

[CrazyCres]

Do yall think we need a new poll?

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by Klippenstein

BlockClubChicago posted the following about public meetings.

I would attend Bally's just for a chance to snoop around the inside of Freedom Center.
Edit: Unless its in the "temporary" casino building across the street?

[sentinel]

I've changed my mind: either the Bally's site, or the Hard Rock, both are fantastic.

The 78 proposal is made worse by that observation deck. As someone mentioned on Yimby, it looks like a fucking oil rig tower...the designers couldn't have come up with a better design?? Wtf??

[twister244]

Originally Posted by sentinel

I've changed my mind: either the Bally's site, or the Hard Rock, both are fantastic.

The 78 proposal is made worse by that observation deck. As someone mentioned on Yimby, it looks like a fucking oil rig tower...the designers couldn't have come up with a better design?? Wtf??

I mean... I see the the St. Charles Air Line Bridge, which is what it's supposed to invoke, but to each their own. I personally love that nod to the landmark.

The renderings of the Hard Rock look cheap... Like they put little effort into creating a unique casino experience, which 78 and Bally's are really trying to create an integrated river experience.

I can see why one might not like 78 because they think the observation tower looks like garbage (in their opinion), but to say Hard Rock is a better proposal.... Eh, I disagree.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by sentinel

The 78 proposal is made worse by that observation deck. As someone mentioned on Yimby, it looks like a fucking oil rig tower...the designers couldn't have come up with a better design?? Wtf??

I don't think I've ever seen a better design for an observation tower in my entire life.

Observation towers typically invoke some variation of the goofy-looking "saucer or pod stuck on a pole" theme, but here we get this strong, muscular, majestic, 1,000% Chicago, over-scaled vertical truss thrusting skyward with all of its robust might.

Pure. Raw. Structural. Bad-assery.

BUILD IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BruceP]

All this "due diligence" is fine, but it's been, what, 2 years or more since the legislation was finally passed? And was no preliminary due diligence done in the decades of Chicago pushing for it? Every day that passes, the city is throwing away tax revenues. Just built the damn thing already.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

I don't think I've ever seen a better design for an observation tower in my entire life.

Observation towers typically invoke some variation of the goofy-looking "saucer or pod stuck on a pole" theme, but here we get this strong, muscular, majestic, 1,000% Chicago, over-scaled vertical truss thrusting skyward with all of its robust might.

Pure. Raw. Structural. Bad-assery.

BUILD IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yawn. There are INFINITELY better ways to show powerful structural expression.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by BruceP

All this "due diligence" is fine, but it's been, what, 2 years or more since the legislation was finally passed? And was no preliminary due diligence done in the decades of Chicago pushing for it? Every day that passes, the city is throwing away tax revenues. Just built the damn thing already.

Well, uh, the casinos were a tad busy in 2020 dealing with the implosion of their entire industry. Most of the proposals weren’t even submitted until the end of October 2021.

It’s not a bad idea to wait a few months making sure there are no nasty legal snarls and that the finances are legit for the current plans. It’s impossible to do ‘due diligence’ decades ago without knowing the companies and actual proposals involved.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Yawn. There are INFINITELY better ways to show powerful structural expression.

Then show me an example of a better large-scale observation, cuz I've never seen one

The only one that even comes close would be the Eiffel Tower.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Then show me an example of a better large-scale observation, cuz I've never seen one

The only one that even comes close would be the Eiffel Tower.

Give me a 1,078' tall mixed use tower with bi or try level observatory.

[Randomguy34]

Re-upping this, since revenue is going to be a factor in the casino decision. I think the 78 is the coolest proposal but it ranks low in revenue. The observation tower and hotel portion also haven't yet received Highly Confident Letters (HCL) yet, so if those aren't built the revenues for the 78 proposal is going to be lower.

Originally Posted by galleyfox

Part of the Union Gaming revenue analysis

[galleyfox]

Bally’s Tribune

Hard Rock

Rivers 78 with Hotel/Obs. Tower

Rivers 78 w/o Hotel/Obs. Tower

[HomrQT]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Then show me an example of a better large-scale observation, cuz I've never seen one

The only one that even comes close would be the Eiffel Tower.

I like the "Invisible Tower" by GDS.