STATE COLLEGE — The future of a casino at the Nittany Mall is still up in the air.
At press time, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was holding a hearing in Harrisburg to determine whether to award a license for the proposed mini-casino at the Nittany Mall.
A hearing for SC Gaming OpCo’s Category 4 license application was scheduled to open the board’s meeting on Jan.
25.
Later in the agenda, the board had the opportunity to vote on whether or not to approve the license for SC Gaming, which is owned by investor and former Penn State Trustee Ira Lubert.
The casino has been an ongoing saga.
In September of 2021, College Township approved a land development plan for the proposed casino in the former Macy’s property at the mall.
Few major modifications are planned for the exterior of the 94,000-square-foot building, which inside is expected to have 750 slot machines, 30 table games and sports betting, along with a restaurant, bar, a multi-outlet quick-serve food and beverage area.
Investor and former Penn State trustee Ira Lubert had a winning bid of $10 million at a September 2020 auction for a new license for a Category 4 casino that would be located in Centre County. In January, Bally’s Corporation announced it had signed an agreement with Lubert to develop the planned $123 million mini-casino. In March, SC Gaming Op Co. LLC, the entity formed by Lubert to develop the casino, submitted an application and local impact report that identified the anchor spot at the College Township mall as its location.
The casino is expected to breathe new life into the Nittany Mall. By going into the former Macy’s location, the casino would become an anchor, along with Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Gabe’s and Rural King. If approved, the casino would become a large employer in Centre County. Development and construction are projected to create — in the short-term — 350 direct full-time-equivalent jobs and 170 indirect jobs. Additionally, there will be a net onetime economic impact of $43.6 million for College Township and $61.4 million for Centre County.
The casino is expected to employ 350 to 400 full-time-equivalent positions, offering a “very competitive compensation and benefits package.”
The report projects $121.6 million in direct and indirect annual economic impact within the township economy. In Centre County, the study estimates $164 million annual economic impact, supporting 740 jobs.
Host municipalities and counties receive 2% of a casino’s slot machine revenue and 1% of table game and sports book revenues.
The impact study estimates the gaming revenues and taxes would yield $1.6 million for College Township in the first year of operation and $2 million at stabilization.
