American Alliance for Equal Rights has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago and Bally’s Chicago, Inc., alleging racial discrimination in an investment opportunity for a new casino development. The complaint was lodged on January 29, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, naming Bally’s Chicago Operating Company, LLC, and members of the Illinois Gaming Board as defendants.
The case centers around Bally's Chicago's upcoming casino project—a massive $1.7 billion development featuring gaming areas, a hotel tower, and various amenities. To fund this venture, Bally’s Chicago announced an initial public offering (IPO) that restricts investment to minorities and women only. Plaintiffs Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff claim they are excluded from participating solely because they are white males. According to the complaint, this exclusion is not only discriminatory but also illegal under federal civil rights statutes such as 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1982.
"Defendants have stacked the deck against them," reads the complaint, which further argues that these race-based restrictions violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law. The plaintiffs assert that such criteria amount to racial stereotyping and discrimination that should be declared unconstitutional by the court.
The plaintiffs seek several forms of relief from the court: declaratory judgments deeming these racial classifications illegal; permanent injunctions allowing resale of shares without racial restrictions; rescission of any shares sold under these criteria; specific performance requiring Bally’s to sell shares to them on equal terms; and damages including nominal, compensatory, and punitive awards.
Represented by attorneys Daniel P. Lennington and Skylar Croy from Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Fisher and Aronoff aim to dismantle what they view as unlawful barriers to economic participation based on race. The case has been assigned Case ID 1:25-cv-01017 in front of judges at the Northern District Court of Illinois.