Expected start of Nittany Mall casino construction

 

The proposed $120 million mini-casino construction at the Nittany Mall could start in the first half of next year, an executive who manages the project said Wednesday.

Such a serious investment shows that the authors are confident in the project’s payback. Gambling has become popular after the growth of the iGaming industry. If you study the onlinecasinobuddy.com website, which has high search engine rankings, you can find many famous online casinos. The convenience and variety of games have brought millions of new players to the iGaming industry. Many are eager to play online and in land-based establishments, so the project is expected to succeed.

Bally’s Corp. President George Papanier shared the update during an earnings call. It was one of the company’s first public updates in the two weeks since Pennsylvania’s highest court approved the project’s advancement.

“The lawsuits are behind us. We’re now focused on going through the process and obtaining the appropriate approvals with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. So we’re focused on that,” Papanier said, according to a transcript of the call. “And the timing of construction probably won’t be until the first half of 2025 at this point.

“As part of that transaction, there’s a stage relative to arranging the financing. And so now that the court has ruled, we are going through the developmental underwriting process and how we plan for that.”

It was unclear if Stadium Casino, which lost a bid for the license at a 2020 auction, appealed the state Supreme Court’s ruling. The company had 14 days to ask the justices to reconsider their unanimous decision.

On Thursday, a court spokesperson told the Centre Daily Times, “Nothing is on the docket yet, but in theory, such an application could still be filed electronically or by an approved type of mail. So too soon to say for sure.”

Mike Bloom, the assistant manager of College’s Township, said Thursday that the township is also waiting to hear whether additional appeals will be filed.

If Bally’s timeline holds up, construction will be completed. The company expected construction at the former Macy’s location to take a year. College Township has already approved the project’s plans.

Bally’s recently reached a deal to be bought out by its largest shareholder. As part of the deal, Bally’s will be merged with Queen Casino & Entertainment, which operates four casinos in three states.

The planned 24/7 nonsmoking casino in the Nittany Mall is expected to have up to 750 slot machines, 30 table games, a sports betting area, and a sports-themed restaurant and bar. It is also likely to employ upward of 400 full-time equivalent positions.

College Township and Centre County are slated to receive 2% of gross revenue from slot machines and 1% from table games. A consultant estimated that College Township would likely receive about $1.6 million during the casino’s first year of operation.

Supporters of the casino tout its economic benefits and potential to revitalize the mall and create jobs. Opponents have raised concerns about gambling addictions and placing a potential strain on the first responders.