Bally’s Chicago Jackpot Dispute

Bally’s Chicago has finally made good on a $1,250 slot machine win that hit on Dec. 20.

More than a week after a man named Nick contacted local media to express his frustration with not being paid on his $1,250 slot win, the temporary casino inside the Medinah Temple in the Windy City’s River North neighborhood has reportedly paid up.

As previously reported on Dec. 31, Nick claimed that Bally’s Chicago, a casino with about 800 slot machines and 50 live dealer table games, refused to pay his winnings because he presented a limited-term REAL ID to the attending slot employee. Nick claims he has won prizes upwards of $1,200 before, the 2025 threshold to initiate a handpay and a W-2G form, without incident, using the federal form of identification that’s granted to individuals with temporary lawful status.

The federal tax reporting threshold was increased to $2,000 effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Payout Finally Issued

A relative of Nick says Bally’s Chicago finally paid him the $1,250. Nick had said previously that he was continuing to discuss the matter with the casino.

They finally called him yesterday, apologized, and paid him what they were supposed to pay, the friend said.

Nick said that he has been a regular at Bally’s Chicago since the temporary casino opened in September 2023.

I’ve won 11 jackpots, Nick said before his 12th, which initially went unpaid. In the past, never any problems. I’ve always had that kind of ID.

Illinois gaming law requires that a slot attendant obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification when issuing a handpay and completing a W-2G form. The tax form reports substantial winnings as personal income to the federal government.

Player Complaints and Reviews

Bally’s Chicago has not yet commented on the slot payout discrepancy.

Many casinos across the country don’t have great reviews on Google, as customers routinely complain about not winning enough as they think they should. Bally’s Chicago is no exception, as the property has a 3.4/5 rating on Google among over 1,100 reviews.

Frequent complaints, along with disgruntled gamblers saying the slots don’t pay, include critiques about the lack of parking. But many have also raised complaints about identification procedures.

In September, a gambler claimed they presented a Permanent Resident card, known as a Green Card, after winning a slot machine jackpot. The review claims the casino classified the individual as a foreign person and therefore withheld 30%.

I tried to explain that I am not a foreign person. I live here and pay my taxes as a US resident and the manager said to me, Do you want your jackpot money? If yes, then sign, otherwise we will not pay. I had to sign it and let 30% of my money go away, the person alleged.

Others have raised concerns that the casino’s security team does not know how to authorize acceptable forms of identification, including IDs from Canada.