There has been plenty of controversy surrounding the Nittany Mall Casino that’s slated to be built near Penn State’s campus. However, construction preparation for the project has begun, and College Township is in favor of developing a new impact study for the property.
After years of legal battles, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ira Lubert’s SC Gaming bid for the casino last July. That set the scene for the State College hosting the next Pennsylvania casino.
Construction fence has gone up in State College
The bid for the Category 4 casino dates back to September 2020, when the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) correctly awarded a license to SC Gaming. It beat out the Cordish Companies, which owns Live! Casino Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with a bid that exceeded $10 million.
College Township Manager, Adam Brumbaugh, confirmed to WPSU that the legal process is done, and construction is ready to start. He said:
“I can tell you that all the state and local licenses and approvals are now in hand. Within the last week or so, you’ve seen the construction fence go up around the former Macy’s building at the Nittany Mall.”
While construction begins, College Township is also focused on conducting a study on the new casino to identify impacts on the community. The township had wanted to one for years, but held back because of the ongoing legal dispute.
Econsult Solutions, Inc. published a report in 2021 that found a casino in State College would be a net-positive for local tourism and tax revenue. Brumbaugh said that another study could bring other points of view to light:
“Council is actually interested in doing our own impact study in order to refresh and update those numbers, but also to address and to identify those kind of health and human service issues that are out there that we’ve heard so much about from various constituents.”
The township expects to have a report by the fall of 2025, which will not affect the opening of the Nittany Mall Casino.
Timeline for Nittany Mall Casino
PlayPennsylvania reported in September the separation between Lubert and his previous partner, Bally’s. However, that has not impacted the start time for construction.
Lubert is now working alone on this project, and convinced the PGCB of doing so. He said in September:
“I demonstrated to the Board my resources and capability to independently develop and operate this casino project without reliance on a third party, including Bally’s.”
Lubert was part of the Valley Forge Casino ownership, which opened in 2012.
In August, just before the split, Bally’s announced that construction for the project would start in the “first half of 2025.” The plan is to open the casino in the first half of 2026.
The new property can hold between 300 and 750 slot machines and can petition for up to 30 table games, for a fee of $2.5 million. It’s expected to create 350 full-time positions, too.
