Happy Valley Casino Opens in Centre County, PA After Five Years
Located in the Nittany Mall, the new casino is the first in Centre County. It features 750 slot machines and 30 live-dealer table games in a 94,000 square-foot space. During its soft opening on April 24-25, games were available, and local charities like the State College Food Bank and YMCA benefited.
The casino’s opening is important for Pennsylvania’s gaming market as it’s the first in Centre County. It was given Category 4 mini-casino status under the 2017 Gaming Expansion Act. Promoters see it as a way to boost the local economy after mall department stores closed.
Local groups strongly opposed it, with nearly 5,000 protest messages sent to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). These messages argued that the board hadn’t considered local opinions when granting final approval. Despite this, the PGCB issued the casino’s license, recognizing the potential for new jobs and tax revenue in the area.
The casino has potential customers among Penn State students and the local post-graduate community, and local residents and tourists looking for entertainment. It’s in the Nittany Mall, which has struggled in recent years, and it will hopefully help regenerate the mall. Eric Pearson, the casino’s general manager, described the casino-mall relationship as “symbiotic” – they both hope to profit when the casino attracts more traffic.
For local businesses and potential investors, the outcome is uncertain. The casino has opened, but its success depends on how well it attracts residents, tourists, and shoppers. The next step will be assessing the impact on the local economy. If the casino proves popular, it could spur further development. However, if the community remains divided, growth may be slower than expected.
💡 TGJ Take
Gamblers of Pennsylvania count on the timely opening of the Happy Valley Casino. In the Centre County region, which has never hosted a casino, the opening of one could be very disruptive. If the casino is accepted into the Nittany Mall and spurs other development projects around the county, gambling could be demonstrated to be a viable solution to economic depression. With the support of the local community, the casino should have little concern for economic trouble if it is viewed as an alternative entertainment source to the traditional student crowd.
