Updated 4:18 p.m. April 27.
Happy Valley Casino is officially open for business.
The casino in the former Macy’s at the Nittany Mall opened on Monday morning following the successful completion of two state-required “test days” on Friday and Saturday, it announced on social media.
Hours for the smoke-free, 21-and-older venue are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Table games are open from 4 p.m. to midnight.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for our team and the entire community as we open the doors to Happy Valley Casino,” Eric Pearson, general manager, said in a statement. “We’re proud to introduce a vibrant new destination where guests can enjoy top-tier gaming, great food and rewarding experiences. From day one, our focus has been on creating an atmosphere that’s welcoming, energetic and full of opportunity—and we can’t wait for our guests to be part of it.”
Pennsylvania’s 18th casino and fifth category 4 “mini-casino” features 600 slot machines and 30 table games at opening. It is permitted to have up to 750 slots, which Pearson said last week will be filled out based on what customers show the most interest in, and can up its table games to 40 after a year.
Table game options currently include craps, roulette, midi baccarat, face up pai gow poker, three-card poker, Mississippi stud, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Spanish 21 and blackjack. Most betting minimums are expected to be $15.
“What games we activate, we call that our spread, which games we bring online with the limits we offer on them, and that’s something that we sort of dynamically manage as the day goes and as traffic changes,” Pearson said last week.
A high-limit also features about three dozen slots and four table games.
Food and beverage options include Aces Social, a full-service sit-down restaurant with a wide-ranging menu featuring steaks, seafood, pasta, burgers, wings and more, as well as a traditional retail bar. It is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Lucky Break Cafe, open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., offers quick-service food such as pizza slices, burgers, grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, ice cream, snacks and beverages, including espresso-based drinks.
Customers also have access to a self-serve station for complimentary soda, coffee and tea, and will be able to order complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages directly from slot machines and from servers at the table games. A casino center bar outside of Aces Social, meanwhile, includes keno and poker variant machines built into the bar top.
Happy Valley Casino has nearly 380 part- and full-time employees at opening, with the vast majority being full-time, Pearson said last week. That includes 96 who graduated from the casino’s 12-week Dealer School, which will continue to operate inside the mall with its next session starting this summer.
Many of those employees got their first taste of live action during the weekend test days, which are mandated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in advance of opening and had their proceeds donated to the State College Food Bank and the YMCA of Centre County.
The primary purpose of the test days was for PGCB staff to determine that the casino is operating in compliance with thousands of pages of regulations and submitted internal controls. Doug Harbach, PGCB communications director, added that compliance staff have been on site since construction began more than two years ago.
“They are here making sure that everything is progressing the way it should and they’re not doing something that wasn’t in the plans or foreseen by the Gaming Control Board,” Harbach said. “This isn’t just coming in here in the last couple of days and trying to check things out.”
Penn State alumnus, former university trustee and investor Ira Lubert had eyed the Nittany Mall for a casino for several years before winning an auction to apply for a category 4 “mini-casino” license with a $10 million bid in August 2020. After initially partnering with Bally’s to develop and manage the venue, the Lubert-led SC Gaming signed an agreement with the New York-based Saratoga Casino Holdings which is now majority owner of Happy Valley Casino.
Happy Valley Casino’s opening comes after years of planning, a legal challenge by a competing casino company and about a year-and-a-half of construction on the estimated $120 million redevelopment of 94,000-square-foot former Macy’s anchor space at the College Township mall.
A contingent of casino detractors have maintained long-running vocal opposition to the project, saying they are skeptical of the economic benefits and that they believe those will be outweighed by gambling addiction, especially among students at nearby Penn State, an influx of crime and a strain on local resources.
Supporters say the casino can enhance the area’s entertainment and tourism destinations, help to revitalize the mall and provide an economic boon through jobs and tax revenue. College Township commissioned a third-party local impact study to evaluate the potential social and public safety effects, which the report projected to be minimal, and anticipated economic benefits, with the township expected to receive $1.4 to $1.6 million in new tax revenue annually. The county is projected to receive the same.
A grand opening event for the casino is scheduled for May 8 and will include a commemorative gift giveaway for the first 1,500 Player Rewards Club members. Customers who enroll in the Rewards Club, which tracks guest spending, prior to the grand opening will be entered to win a share of $10,000 in cash and prizes.
