Die Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board has approved the construction of a Category Four casino in College Township, Center County, after receiving an initial license just over a year ago.
This permit allows the company to operate between 300 and 750 slot machines. A license to operate up to 30 table games can also be requested for an additional fee of $2.5M, with the possibility of an additional 10 table games being added after the first year of operation.
In parallel with the issuance of further nationwide casino bans by the supervisory authority, the award was unanimous SC Gaming OpCo completes a process that began in September 2020.
Construction of the gaming facility, which will be operated by Bally’s and will occupy the 94,000 square foot site formerly home to Macy’s department store at Nittany Mall, comes after Ira Lubert secured the rights with a winning auction bid of $10,000,101.
The PGCB then completed an in-depth background investigation into the application, which included gathering public comments from citizens, community groups and government officials. SC Gaming representatives were also interviewed about the project.
The construction cost is estimated at $35 million and it is expected to create 700 jobs, divided equally between construction and full-time employment thereafter.
The facility is expected to house 750 slot machines, 30 table games, a retail facility with sportsbook, live music and special events, as well as quick service restaurants and beverage stations.
No date has been set for the opening, but representatives from SC Gaming told the board that construction work is expected to last around 12 months from the start.
In addition, the state regulator has banned four more adults from casinos in the region by placing them on the involuntary exclusion list.
This came after nine children between the ages of one and 14 were left unattended in a casino. Valley Forge Casino Resort, Harrah’s Spielbank Philadelphia and Mohegan Pennsylvania Casino for periods between five minutes and more than two hours.
Applications were also denied in relation to two adults wanting to be removed following various incidents in 2020 in which a total of three children were left unattended to play.
The PGCB also reported that in 2022 it identified 303 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos, involving 486 minors.
“The agency’s actions serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, hotel or other location within a casino, as this creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children ‘ the regulator said.
“Leaving a minor unattended in a Pennsylvania casino entails criminal prosecution for the offending adult in addition to ban from all Pennsylvania casinos.”
