UPTOWN — Bally’s temporary casino is running more shuttles to predominately Asian and Asian-American parts of the city, now operating two hourly buses from Uptown in addition to its Chinatown routes.
The Asia on Argyle shuttles run hourly from noon-3 a.m. within three minutes of each other, according to schedules on the casino’s site. Casino guests can choose between two pick-up locations, Cafe Hoang, 1020 W. Argyle St., and New Furama Restaurant, 4936 N. Broadway, according to the casino’s site.
Signs translated into Asian languages are posted outside the pick-up spots to advertise the shuttles.
The North Side buses come after Block Club Chicago revealed the casino operator quietly added two hourly shuttle bus locations in Chinatown in October. It was largely unknown to local leaders and organizers until a reporter reached out to ask about the routes. The shuttles were running only out of Chinatown at the time.
Bally’s leaders did not confirm at the time how they selected routes to and from Chinatown, but said riders responded positively and they planned to add routes on the North and West sides due to demand.
Similarly, Uptown’s leaders said they were largely unaware of the shuttles heading to the neighborhood’s enclave of Asian restaurants, cafes and shops.
Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), whose ward includes Uptown, told Block Club she shared similar concerns as South Side Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) and Rep. Theresa Mah, both of whom represent Chinatown and criticized the casino running the shuttles there.
Lee previously told Block Club she was concerned for the safety of people using the shuttle, while Mah was concerned about the casino targeting a community with a history of problem gambling to drive revenue.
Manaa-Hoppenworth also said she was concerned about the lack of communication and collaboration with local leaders.
“I would think that they want to be good partners to any neighborhood they are in,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said.
Manaa-Hoppenworth also questions how the shuttles will impact traffic, local businesses and the economic growth of the neighborhood, she said. Bussing people to spend dollars outside of the community is also a concern, the alderwoman said.
“I’m open to anyone who wants to come [to the neighborhood], but it has to be two-way communication,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said.
Uptown United & Uptown Chamber of Commerce said in a statement its leaders are aware of the shuttles and have contacted Bally’s.
“We’ve shared our concerns with the stops given the traffic already on Argyle and Broadway, and encouraged them to engage with neighborhood stakeholders and businesses,” said Sarah Wilson, executive director of Uptown United & Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
Bally’s did not respond to questions about the shuttles.
‘The Shuttles Were Always Going To Come’
Bally’s temporary casino opened in September at Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave. It has nearly 800 slot machines and 56 gaming tables, plus two restaurants and a coffee shop. The casino initially operated 8 a.m.-4 a.m. daily but has been a 24-hour operation since Dec. 27.
Before Bally’s opened, casino executives emphasized they were not contracting with any shuttle services. That looks to have changed as revenue and the number of visitors fell short of expectations.
In 2023, Bally’s earned $3.1 million for the city, nearly $10 million short of projections from former Mayor Lori Lightfoot before she left office.
An average of about 2,681 people visited the casino daily in October, the Sun-Times reported. In its first weeks, an average of 3,347 people visited, according to the Sun-Times.
More than 3,000 more people visited the casino in November, the month after the Chinatown shuttle service launched, the Tribune reported. The casino has also steadily increased its revenue each month after the shuttles were added, figures show.
December was the highest-grossing in Bally’s four-month run, with $8.5 million in gross revenue and $864,645.42 for Chicago tax dollars, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. It is also currently the second-most visited casino in the state, trailing Rivers Casino in suburban Des Plaines.
As the shuttles keep running, neighborhood leaders are increasingly demanding more resources for residents who use them, such as enhanced safety and education surrounding problem gambling.
For C.W. Chan, none of this is new.
Chan, founder of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, was on the front lines advocating for regulations of casino buses, particularly from Indiana and the surrounding suburbs, that used to crawl through every crevice of Chinatown.
“Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, buses were competing. Every major intersection had a bus, creating problems with traffic,” Chan said. “They used to even knock on peoples’ doors.”
Shuttle buses would entice patrons by offering free meals and gaming chips. Instead of going to work, people would go to the casino, spend the whole day there and eat for free, Chan said.
“We could not stop [the buses] from coming, so what we did do is make sure there were regulations,” Chan said.
Chan banded together with other Chinatown community groups and met with casino executives to create special pick-up zones in the community, he said. From that advocacy, Chan established the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community in 1998, which is still active and has been raising concerns about a city casino for years.
In 2019 the coalition, now led by Grace Chan McKibben, held two community conversations about the impacts of a casino on the community.
Advocates told WBEZ at the time they worried about casinos’ history of “buses at every single corner, seven days a week, almost 24 hours a day” in Chinatown, casino patrons being targeted in robberies and problem gambling among low-income people.
Those concerns are still alive today even though the coalitions and many other groups successfully organized against the Rivers 78 Casino proposal that would have put the Chicago casino a short distance away from Chinatown.
“Our concern is that there are vulnerable communities…and how do we as an organization that cares combat that?” Chan McKibben said.
Gone are the days of shuttle buses competing so fiercely for riders, Chan said, but community conversations and resources still need to be present.
Currently, the most common drop-off zones are outside the Chinatown Library and at the intersection of Cermak and State Street, Chan McKibben said.
“There was a time when the casinos were more aggressive…right now it’s not as obvious, people could feel it 20 years ago,” Chan said. “We need to figure out the framework to have that discussion.”
Asked if he felt the Asian community was being targeted with the new shuttles, Chan said “absolutely.”
“The shuttles were always going to come. So in a way, we are not surprised,” Chan said.
Manaa-Hoppenworth said she hopes to have a meeting with Bally’s in the future so she can learn about what the casino’s intentions are and what their impact will be on the community.
“We want a thriving community, and we want people to have more opportunities,” said Manaa-Hoppenworth. “I am an Asian American, and I know I have grown up with people that love to gamble but also there is a real danger…I know people who have lost their homes [to gambling]. And we don’t want them to lose their homes, we want them to thrive.”
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
