June 15, 2026
Mayor Brandon Johnson wants a City Council committee to meet Monday to consider an ordinance that would reverse Chicago's decision to allow video gambling — reopening a bitter fight over Bally's, the budget and tens of millions in casino revenue.
The decision to lift Chicago's ban on video gambling terminals has divided the City Council and deepened tensions between alderpersons and Mayor Brandon Johnson. On Thursday, a new and potentially broader front opened in that battle.
Johnson asked the Council's Committee on Workforce Development to meet Monday to consider direct introduction of an ordinance that would "authorize one or more agreements with the casino developer to enhance casino workforce capability to disallow video gaming terminals" — in effect, a citywide repeal of video gambling.
Chicago's $16.6 billion 2026 budget lifted the city's long-standing ban on video gambling and assumed $6.8 million in revenue from licensing newly legalized terminals — based on 80% of the city's 3,300 eligible liquor-licensed establishments applying, and on the Illinois Gaming Board taking six to eight months to grant licenses. Johnson now wants that reversed.
A New Front in the Fight
Workforce Development Chair Mike Rodriguez (22nd) said the move is driven by worries over the city's casino deal.
— Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd), Workforce Development Chair
Pressed on whether Johnson has the votes for a citywide repeal, Rodriguez said, "They're whipping it" — the legislative term for rounding up support.
Johnson has objected to legalizing video gambling in part because he believes it would violate the city's host agreement with Bally's — the gaming giant operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple while building a permanent casino-entertainment complex in River West. His Council allies have already banned or tried to ban terminals in their individual wards, buying time for the mayor to find the votes for a citywide repeal.
Beale Fires Back
Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), the Council champion for lifting the ban, has pushed to maximize revenue from video gambling terminals and eliminate competition for them — including an effort to ban sweepstakes machines over Johnson's objections. On Thursday, he accused the mayor of routing the repeal to Rodriguez's Workforce Development Committee when it belongs in the License Committee.
— Ald. Anthony Beale (9th)
Beale, who has warned for months that Johnson was quietly working to repeal the ordinance, predicted the mayor will fall short of the 26 votes needed to reverse a core element of the budget.
A Turf War Over Committees
License Committee Chair Debra Silverstein (50th), who voted with the Council majority on video gambling, pushed back on the maneuver in a letter to Johnson.
— Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), License Committee Chair
The mayor's office had no immediate comment on Silverstein's letter or the broader repeal effort.
What Bally's Says Is at Stake
Bally's has repeatedly warned that keeping video gambling legal citywide would cut into its casino business — and the city's bottom line. According to the company, lifting Chicago's ban would:
- Cost the city up to $74 million in annual revenue and as many as 1,050 jobs at its temporary and permanent casinos.
- Force a renegotiation of "critical elements" of the host agreement.
- Wipe out a $4 million yearly lump-sum payment from Bally's to the city.
- Shrink the casino jackpot earmarked to help save police and fire pension funds.
Monday's committee meeting sets up a high-stakes test of whether Johnson can muster 26 votes to undo a key piece of the budget — a fight that pits projected video-gambling revenue against Bally's guaranteed casino payments, with the city's finances and a major casino deal hanging in the balance. Reporting by Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times.
