Bally’s Chicago Casino Construction Halted As Mob-Linked Hauler Probed

The Illinois Gaming Board issued an order to cease construction work on Bally’s $1.7 billion casino in downtown Chicago as the gaming agency investigates “the use of undisclosed and unapproved vendors at the construction site.”

The Chicago Sun Times was the first to report the story, linking D&P Construction Co. Inc. to Bally’s project in the River West neighborhood of Chicago. Two decades ago, the FBI claimed the waste hauling company was controlled by brothers Johnny “No Nose” DiFronzo and Peter DiFronzo, both reputed leaders of the Chicago mob.

At the time, village officials in Rosemont planned to use D&P Construction as part of their plans to build a casino, but state regulators were uneasy about the alleged mob ties that would have linked the two. The license was eventually awarded to neighboring Des Plaines — where Rivers Casino currently operates and is the biggest casino revenue generator in Illinois.

Inquiries by the Sun Times to the IGB led to the discovery D&P was not on any approved lists of vendors for the construction site, resulting in the order to cease construction work.

“The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) issued an order to cease construction work on the Bally’s Chicago permanent casino in connection with a pending IGB investigation into the use of undisclosed and unapproved vendors at the construction site,” the state agency said in a statement. “The IGB is investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the use of vendors at the permanent casino construction site. The IGB takes these matters seriously, and it will take appropriate action to maintain integrity and safety following the completion of the investigation.”

A tight timeline gets even tighter

It is unknown how long the IGB investigation will last. Bally’s insisted it will cooperate with the investigation via statement, saying:

“We appreciate the diligence and action of IGB.  This is the process at work. We look forward to working with the IGB to eliminate the possibility of it happening again. We brought together the Chicago Community Builder’s Collective to give smaller city contractors a chance to participate in this amazing project. We will work with the CCBC to better achieve our shared objectives.” 

Any prolonged delay would further compress an already tight construction timeline in which Bally’s must open the permanent venue by September 2026 per state law. Bally’s opened its temporary casino at Medinah Temple in nearby River North in September 2023 and received a 12-month “good faith” extension from the IGB the following month. The extension is customarily awarded to licensees that open temporary casinos while building permanent ones.

Bally’s has already endured one construction shutdown of three weeks spanning December into January at the former Chicago Tribune publishing plant grounds after demolition debris spilled into the Chicago River. The gaming company also had to substantially alter its original plans for the venue last year after it was determined the places it wanted to drive the caissons into the ground that would allow construction work to be carried out underwater could potentially damage municipal pipes.

The temporary casino at Medinah Temple has generated $29 million in revenue the first three months of 2025, ranking sixth out of 16 casinos in operation in Illinois. Bally’s has remitted $3 million in taxes to the city, which is tracking below the $16.5 million Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson projected in his 2025 budget.