, two property proposals need a reboot.
The consulting firm Newzoo called 2022 a "corrective year" for gaming, used here to mean esports and not gambling. It said the global market declined about 4% to $184.4 billion in 2022 from the prior year, but it projects growth will return. The other esports project that’s stymied came to light recently with the city’s announcement of a plan to invigorate the La Salle Street district. At 400 S. La Salle is a chunky building that was the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange. A nonprofit partnership led by Urban Resolve asked for city incentives to convert the space into an esports venue for scholastic purposes, with student housing above it.
Cabonargi said without a city subsidy, the project is not viable at 400 S. La Salle. She said she’d like to put it in play elsewhere. "This would be bringing people together not as a for-profit venture but more as a civic attribute," she said.