Bally’s is seeking to raise roughly $195.1 million for the yet-to-be-completed project in Chicago.
Bally’s Corp., is offering public ownership stake in its Chicago casino as it looks to raise roughly $195.1 million for the yet-to-be-completed project.
This is the second such initial public offering (IPO) generated by Bally’s as it relates to the $2 billion Chicago casino project. The first IPO was denied by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following multiple lawsuits claiming the IPO was discriminatory because it gave preference to applicants in four states who qualified for minority status.
The new IPO gives preference to Illinois and Chicago residents, according to an SEC filing.
“We take pride in having attracted a substantial amount of interest in ownership from women and minority groups,” Bally’s Corp., Chairman Soo Kim said in a news release. “To make this investment available to even more Chicagoans who make this city so great we are extending our investment opportunities, with a preference for residents of Chicago and other parts of Illinois. We remain steadfast to our commitment to the City of Chicago and the development of a thriving community.”
Bally’s was the casino operator of the Tropicana Las Vegas, which was imploded last year to make way for an MLB stadium. Bally’s says it intends to construct a new resort on the site as well. Funding has not been secured for either project.
New state enters gaming agreement
Pennsylvania became the sixth state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), joining Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware and West Virginia.
Online poker players in the Keystone State participated in interstate pool play for the first time on Monday, five days after the governor signed an agreement permitting the commonwealth’s entry.
Operators, policymakers and online gamblers pushed for inclusion in interstate pools for multiple reasons, including enhanced competition, larger prize pools, industry growth, support for smaller operators and to reduce unregulated play.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said it was a “commonsense step to support hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, grow our economy, and bring in more revenue to support our schools, our seniors, our small businesses, and more.”
BetMGM Poker, PA Borgata Online Poker and WSOP Online were among the first online operators offering Pennsylvania players a chance to ante up in the multi-state pool. The first two combine liquidity from three states.
Caesars Entertainment’s WSOP Online is the first online poker operator to pool liquidity from four jurisdictions — Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The 2025 WSOP Online Bracelet tournament begins May 31.
Danielle Barille, vice president of online poker at Caesars Entertainment, said the Pennsylvania expansion “enhances the experience for players by building even greater prize pools that are up for grabs all summer long as a part of our jam-packed WSOP Online schedule.
“The addition of the Pennsylvania player pool to WSOP Online comes at the perfect time, and we’re ready to give avid poker players in The Keystone State the opportunity to raise the stakes on their poker play,” Barille said in a news release. “We’re ready to see who earns our largest online prize pools ever once the first hands are dealt this summer.”
NCAA data feed
The NCAA has agreed to provide official data from championship events to sportsbooks that agree not to offer high-risk proposition bets.
Through a partnership with London-based Genius Sports, sportsbooks can sign up to receive official data as long as they don’t offer underperformance wagers, negative outcome bets and wagers on injuries, officials’ decisions or fan-voted awards.
Genius became the official provider of NCAA statistics through 2032 under a new agreement announced Friday.
The agreement applies to all sports except the College Football Championship, which the NCAA does not oversee.
Sportsbooks can use the data feeds on live betting options, and the NCAA marks and logo can be used inside sports betting apps but not for outside marketing.
Oklahoma sports betting
Two bills authorizing sports wagering in Oklahoma have reached the state Senate floor.
The Senate Business and Insurance Committee passed both measures in separate votes. One bill, sponsored by Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City, gives federally recognized Indian tribes with compacts the exclusive right to offer sports betting in the state.
The other bill, sponsored by Luttrell and Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Durant, would allow sports betting after a voter referendum.
Both bills face an uphill battle because Republican Gov. J. Kevin Stitt opposes them for being drafted without his input.
Macao’s gaming tax
The $2.8 billion (U.S.) in gaming tax collected in Macao in the first quarter of 2025 represents 88.1 percent of taxes collected in the Chinese enclave.
Gaming tax collections are tracking 0.2 percent ahead of last year, and slightly behind the fiscal year’s budget expectation of $11.6 billion for the entire year, according to Macao’s Financial Services Bureau.
