PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — The fight for and against the proposed Nittany Mall casino has been going on for several years, but it seems as though the project may now be moving forward.
On Wednesday, July 17 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided unanimously in favor of the PA Gaming Control Board, giving the green light to the holder of the casino license at the heart of the lawsuit. In 2020, at a Category 4 auction, businessman Ira Lubert won the right to have a casino built after his winning bid of $10,000,101.
But the company that lost the bid wasn’t happy and didn’t give up without a fight.
In Jan. 2023, PGCB voted unanimously to approve the license to State College Gaming OpCo, LLC, under the Bally’s Corporation, for the mini-casino that would go in the Nittany Mall in College Township.
READ MORE: Previous coverage on the proposed Nittany Mall casino Stadium Casino has argued that Luberts company, SC Gaming, was partnering with another company that will run the casinos’ sports betting and iGaming, which Stadium Casino’s Attorney Mark Aronchick previously said are “entities or people who are not licensed and don’t operate in Pennsylvania.”
With a pending lawsuit suggesting that the gaming board improperly accepted a licensing bid, the casino was put on hold for over a year. However, alongside the lawsuit, there was widespread discourse from residents and town officials about whether a casino should be placed in the mall anyway.
Local hospitality showed support and spoke of how the casino could bring wanted business, but some residents said they thought it would do more harm than good. College Township residents also expressed their opposition through a letter to the Gaming Control Board , but it seems as though the casino will be moving forward once again.
Stadium argues that Section 1305.2(c) is a jurisdictional provision, satisfaction of which must be met before the Board can consider an application submitted by the winner of an auction for a Category 4 slot machine license. We disagree, finding that Section 1305.2(c) only defines the Board’s conduct in connection with Category 4 slot machine license auctions, not its competency to preside over slot machine auctions, application and licensing proceedings. We therefore affirm the Board’s determination and dismiss the action pending in the Commonwealth Court
The Pa Supreme Court Justices wrote in their filing
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The proposed casino would be allowed to have between 300 and 750 slot machines and can be permitted to operate 30 gaming tables and can even add 10 more after its first year of being open.
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