New casino near Penn State has officially been approved
$6,000 Welcome Bonus
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) unanimously approved a Category 4 slot machine license to SC Gaming OpCo, LLC to construct a new casino in College Township, Centre County.
The process of receiving a license from the PGCB began back on Sep. 2, 2020, when businessman Ira Lubert secured the right to locate a new casino, according to the PCGB. This right was secured with a winning bid by Lubert of $10,000,101 at a Category 4 auction which was held that same day.
Following that meeting, Lubert then filed another application with the PCGB in Jan. 2021 – this was to secure the official location of the future casino. The chosen location for the new casino was in a 94,000 square foot building at the Nittany Mall, located along Collage Avenue – the space was formerly utilized as a Macy’s Department store.
Upon requesting this location, the PCGB conducted an in-depth background investigation of the application, in addition to collecting the surrounding public’s input. According to the PCGB, to get ample public input, they held a public hearing in College Township on Aug. 16, 2021, and collected written comments through June, 12, 2022.
It is important to note that a Category 4 Slot Machine License allows for the casino to operate between 300 – 750 slot machines. According to the PGCB, the casino owner could also petition for permission to operate 30 table games for an additional fee of $2.5 million. Following that fee, the casino could add an addition 10 table games after one year of operating.
According to a presentation given to the PGCB earlier today, the new casino, which will be operated by Bally’s Corporation, will offer the following:
- 750 slot machines
- 30 table games
- Retail facility sports wagering
- Stage for live music and events
- Quick serve food and beverage outlets
The construction of the new casino is expected to cost about $35 million, and should also create 350 full-time construction jobs in the process. Additionally, the new casino is expected to employ about 350 people.
Construction is expected to take approximately 12 months until completion – no target grand opening date has yet been announced, according to SC Gaming representatives.
www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov
