On Tuesday, December 5, the PA Supreme Court approved two extensions that were filed in the case of the Nittany Mall Casino in College Township. The extensions that were filed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) and prospective casino developers see the deadline extended from December 18 to January 2, 2024.
In a hearing that was held in January in Harrisburg, PA, the PGCB unanimously approved a Category 4 license to SC Gaming OpCO, LLC. Operating under Bally’s Corporation, the proposed Class 4 facility is allowed to have between 300 and 750 slot machines and up to 30 table games, with 10 more tables added after a year’s operation.
Construction of the casino will take a year at a cost of $35 million. It is expected to create for College Township 350 additional jobs.
Although the PGCB board approved the casino license, there is still no proposed opening date, as the appeal process is yet to be exhausted, meaning that competing casino operators can still submit appeals.
In addition, the casino has been facing opposition from local residents for more than two years, with demonstrations and petitions being filed against the proposal. One petition has already drawn more than 1500 signatures.
The College Township casino license is granted on the basis of Act 2004-71, which empowers the PGCB to authorize “certain racetrack and other gaming”, and Act 2017-42, which facilitates the expansion of land-based gambling activities and grants up to ten Class 4 casino locations throughout the state.
Act 2017-42 also included an opt-out resolution that allowed townships to forgo the option of being a host municipality. However, in a meeting held in December 2017, College Township Council had forgone the opt-out resolution on grounds of regulatory, regional and economic considerations, all highlighting the potential and opportunity of a casino.
