Bird Friendly Chicago Raises Concerns About Bally’s Casino

• Gambling News
• 26 July 2024

Although William Blake famously remarked, "No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings," birds should exercise caution when circling the location of Bally's permanent casino hotel in Chicago.

The Chicago Ornithological Society, Chicago Bird Alliance, and Chicago Bird Collision Monitors formed Bird Friendly Chicago to voice their concerns over the gambling company's updated hotel plans, which they claimed could jeopardize thousands of birds that pass through that area of the city.

The Freedom Center is situated at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street along the Chicago River. Bally's plans to destroy and rebuild it as a casino hotel. The intention was to construct the hotel on the northernmost portion of the land when the gaming firm chose and acquired the location in 2022. Bally's and the city failed to comprehend that constructing on that area of the land may potentially harm subterranean infrastructure and jeopardize the water supply to nearby neighborhoods, which is why that decision drew criticism last year.

The 500-room skyscraper is set to be constructed on the southern part of the property, according to the regional casino operator. However, Bird Friendly Chicago worries that the new location, which is right on the Chicago River, may be a high-frequency bird killer.

Chicago's Bird Friendly Sees Several Problems with Bally's Casino

Owing to its Midwest position and proximity to Lake Michigan, Chicago serves as an essential route for thousands of migrating birds belonging to hundreds of species.

"Chicago is within a major flight path for millions of migratory birds that move along its rivers and the shores of Lake Michigan every spring and fall. Birds have used this region’s critical green spaces to rest and feed for thousands of years before human development created an urban environment filled with hazardous lighting and glass,” according to Bird Friendly Chicago.

The coalition cites the use of clear glass and bright nighttime lighting, two features common to many gambling establishments, as at least two potential problems that would render the Bally's casino hazardous to birds. Birds are unaware of how to stay clear of clear glass.

“Most species of songbirds migrate at night. Lighting that emanates from urban areas into the nighttime sky confuses birds, and attracts them away from their migratory flights, bringing them down into the glass hazards of the city,” added Bird Friendly Chicago.

Bird Deaths Have a History in Chicago

Friendly to Birds Chicago's worries regarding the Bally's casino and potential bird hazards are not unjustified, given the city's past of bird slaughter. According to the organization, 40,000 dead birds belonging to more than 200 species have been discovered in the Chicago Loop over the previous 20 years.

When approximately 1,000 birds crashed into the glass building at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center last year, it was one of the biggest cases of bird deaths in Chicago history. The Bally's location can be almost as hazardous.

“Bird collision monitors pick up at least 600 birds a year within a half-mile of the casino site, a number that likely only represents a fraction of the true toll,” reported Patty Wetli for WTTW.