Bally’s Chicago Casino Halted Over Vendor Once Linked to Mob by FBI
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has instructed that construction be stopped on Bally’s $1.7 billion casino in the River West area of Chicago. That’s following the concerns raised by The Chicago Sun-Times regarding the company providing the dumpsters.
As reported by the Sun-Times, the dumpsters located on the premises are marked with the logo of D&P Construction Co. The FBI states that the firm was previously managed by the deceased John “No Nose” DiFronzo, an ex-leader of the Chicago Mob, along with his late sibling, Peter DiFronzo, a reputed Outfit captain.
Twenty years ago, D&P participated in building the planned Emerald Casino in Rosemont, Illinois, close to the Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
The initiative was halted when the IGB revoked the license upon discovering hidden Mafia involvement in the project.
Warning Sign
The IGB released its directive following alerts from Sun-Times reporters. The regulator announced that construction will be stopped “while the IGB investigates the use of unapproved and undisclosed vendors at the site.”
"This raises several serious concerns as the IGB does not know who is associated with D&P and if any of those associations could potentially violate the Act or rules,” the agency added. “This matter is under investigation and the IGB has no further comment at this time.”
According to the Sun-Times, it is uncertain if D&P maintains a connection with the DiFronzo family. John DiFronzo experienced Alzheimer's disease in his later years, passing away in 2018 at the age of 89. Peter DiFronzo passed away from complications related to COVID-19 in 2020 at the age of 87.
For several years, Peter's widow was recorded as a company owner, but that is no longer true.
Zero Tolerance for Mob Activity
Due to Illinois’ extensive and intricate past with organized crime, keeping the Mob away from the gambling sector has consistently been a key goal for the IGB.
According to state regulations, operators may have their licenses revoked for hiring, maintaining business ties with, or even associating socially with “individuals of notorious or questionable reputation, those with extensive criminal histories, or those who have not cooperated with any officially established investigative or administrative entity and may negatively impact public confidence and trust in gaming.”
Bally's stated in a declaration that it was notified by the IGB about utilizing an unauthorized vendor and received a stop-work notice.
“We appreciate the diligence and action of IGB. This is the process at work. We look forward to working with the IGB to eliminate the possibility of it happening again,” the company said.
