Chicago casino project accused in lawsuit of not allowing White men to invest: 'Blatantly discriminatory'

A caller casino slated to unfastened successful the bosom of downtown Chicago is being accused of violating U.S. civilian rights laws by allegedly preventing White men from investing successful the task – a determination that has prompted a lawsuit.

Bally’s Chicago is simply a $1.7-billion dollar casino and edifice slated to unfastened successful the Windy City's River West vicinity successful 2026. The expansive analyzable is projected to beryllium Illinois’ biggest casino, boasting a 500-room edifice operation with a rooftop bar, a riverwalk, thousands of slot machines and a 3,000-seat theater. Bally’s volition beryllium the city’s archetypal casino; its bid was selected by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot successful 2022. 

As portion of the Host Community Agreement Bally’s signed with the metropolis of Chicago, the casino committed to 25% number ownership. The HCA was drafted successful accordance with a 2019 authorities instrumentality expanding gambling successful Illinois. Currently, successful bid to instrumentality portion successful the casino’s $250 cardinal archetypal nationalist offering, 1 indispensable conscionable its "Class A Qualification Criteria," portion of which states that an capitalist indispensable beryllium a "minority oregon woman."

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Bally's Casino is being sued for alleged radical discrimination.  (Bally's Casino)

A number is defined arsenic "African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics" and different groups deemed by the metropolis to beryllium "socially disadvantaged" including Arab Americans, per the Municipal Code of Chicago. 

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is suing Bally’s Casino and members of the Illinois gaming committee for what they allege is radical discrimination. WILL is representing 2 would-be investors who accidental they were denied the quality to instrumentality portion successful the task due to the fact that of their contention – Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff – who are portion of the American Alliance for Equal Rights, which is besides a plaintiff successful the case.

The suit alleges that Bally’s is successful usurpation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the archetypal Ku Klux Klan Act and years of Supreme Court precedent by preventing White men from buying banal successful their company. The suit besides alleges that Bally’s is preventing shareholders from transferring shares to radical who bash not conscionable "Class A" criteria. 

"Making a declaration is indispensable to the rights of citizenship. What Bally’s is doing present is perfectly amerciable and has been for decades and decades," Dan Lennington of the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty told Fox News Digital.

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The casino's bid was selected by then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.  (Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)

Chicago lawyer Patrick Callahan is not a enactment to the lawsuit, but helium told Fox News Digital helium was incapable to put successful the task due to the fact that helium is simply a White man.

"It’s truthful blatantly discriminatory, I can’t ideate however that could perchance beryllium permissible," Callahan said.

Callahan, 39, said helium archetypal heard astir the casino from a realtor helium follows connected Instagram. He thought it was an breathtaking concern accidental and attempted to bargain shares successful the project. After filling retired his idiosyncratic accusation connected the Bally’s investment portal, helium was asked if helium met the "Class A" criteria. When Callahan input that helium did not, owed to his contention and gender, helium said the portal stated that helium could not proceed with his investment.  

The connection successful reddish appeared if idiosyncratic pursuing buying shares successful the offering didn't fulfill Class A qualification criteria. (Bally's Chicago)

"This offering is lone disposable to entities who fulfill Class A Qualification Criteria successful accordance with the Host Community Agreement with the metropolis of Chicago," the portal displayed successful reddish text. 

"I assumed that it was much of a line than a hard rule… this can’t really be… but definite capable this is exclusively disposable to women and definite minorities," Callahan told Fox News Digital.

Callahan said that the alleged radical favoritism was acold from shocking fixed however the metropolis has been tally nether Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, but helium was inactive alarmed.

"It didn’t astonishment maine arsenic overmuch arsenic it was benignant of startling due to the fact that it was conscionable truthful blatant… Chicago is simply a messiness truthful it doesn’t astonishment me," helium said.

WILL’s suit could pb to ineligible consequences for Bally’s that whitethorn adjacent enactment its casino licence successful jeopardy, Lennington said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. (Reuters/Vincent Alban)

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Bally’s SEC filing stated the presumption they agreed to successful the HCA could permission them susceptible to lawsuits from radical who don’t conscionable "Class A" criteria, which would incur "substantial costs" from the casino and "could adversely impact our quality to run our casinos and could materially adversely impact our business, fiscal information and results of operations," should the HCA beryllium recovered invalid oregon unconstitutional. 

"The Bally’s Chicago IPO complies with our obligations nether the Host Community Agreement with the City of Chicago," a Bally's spokesperson told Fox News Digital successful a statement.

The Chicago Mayor's Office and Illinois Gaming Commission did not respond to Fox News Digital's petition to comment.