Contractor Mob Ties Halt Bally's $1.7 Billion Chicago Project
The Illinois Gaming Board has stopped Bally's Chicago casino construction after it was discovered that the company was using an unapproved contractor with alleged ties to organized crime.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:On Thursday, May 1, 2025, Bally's Casino was issued a work stoppage order by the IGB, requiring it to cease all work on its $1.7 billion Chicago casino project. The regulator gave the order after reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times notified them that a subcontractor with alleged mob connections was working on the site.
The contractor in question, D&P Construction, was providing waste removal services at the site without the board's approval. The company was previously associated with the DiFronzo brothers, John and Peter, who were believed to have strong ties to the Chicago mob.
Both men are now deceased, and while Peter's widow was once listed as an owner, the Sun-Times reported that her association with the company has ended.
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…. IGB staff learned earlier this week that D&P is providing or provided waste removal services at the permanent casino construction site. However, D&P was not disclosed to the IGB, and the IGB did not approve D&P.
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Bally Works to Regain Approval
Bally's acknowledged the issue, stating they were working with the IGB to rectify the situation and prevent similar incidents.
According to spokeswoman Lauren Westerfield, Bally's is developing a new plan to vet subcontractors, and work will resume only after the IGB approves it.
A prolonged investigation leading to an extended work stoppage could jeopardize Bally's ability to meet the state-mandated deadline of September 2026 to open the casino. Given the project's current early stage, meeting this timeline seemed unlikely even without the order.
Meanwhile, Bally's will continue to operate its temporary casino while resolving the latest issue with the permanent project. The operator opened the provisional casino in September 2023 and has contributed $3 million in city tax revenue. The property has also generated $29 million in revenue this year.
Discrimination Allegations
This investigation is the latest in a series of challenges Bally's has faced in the Chicago Casino development process. In February 2025, the operator was accused of discriminating against potential white male investors.
The men who filed the lawsuit claimed that they were barred from investing in the casino project due to their race.
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