State College Community Speaks Out Against Bally’s Plans to Situate a Casino near the Nittany Mall

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: January 23, 2023

The State College Community has spoken out against a Bally’s casino slated to be built near the Nittany Mall, only a few miles from the university’s main campus. Most of the Centre County citizens believe that gambling should not be brought close to Penn State University Park. Bally’s collaborated with Ira Lubert, a former university trustee and a Penn State alumnus. The partnership was formed soon after he emerged as the winner in the September 2020 PGCB (Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board) auction for a Category 4 satellite casino.

Ira Lubert outbid Cordish Companies, a Baltimore-based real estate development and entertainment operating company. Cordish Companies presently runs two casinos in Pennsylvania (Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia). Both Cordish and Lubert were qualified to take part in the September 2020 auction due to their ownership stakes in a slot machine that is licensed in the Commonwealth.

Bally’s wasn’t qualified because it had no vested interest in a slot license in Pennsylvania. Cordish asserts that Lubert violated state laws and PGCB rules by orchestrating a scheme with Bally’s prior to the auction. As a result, Cordish wants the state to dismiss Bally’s and Lubert application for a Category 4 license. During a meeting that is scheduled to hold on January 25, the PGCB will hear from Cordish. Also included in the hearing will be comments from the PGCB Office of Enforcement Counsel and also Bally’s representatives.

Opposition from State College

In 2017, Pennsylvania significantly expanded gaming. The law approved iGaming offerings in Pennsylvania. They also legalized retail sports betting, fantasy sports, video gaming terminals (VGTs) at truck stops, and Category 4 casinos. Townships and municipalities have the legal right to forego consideration for Category 4 developments, also known as “satellite casinos” and “mini-casinos”. That is exactly what more than a thousand local governments did. However, it came as a surprise that College Township was still considered due to its proximity to Penn State, where over 46,000 undergraduates study and live.

The College Township council has voiced its regrets about the decision. This comes after the local community strongly opposed bringing a casino to Centre County and spoke out against it. More than 5,000 letters that express opposition to Bally’s plan were sent to the state during the public input period of the PGCB. Since the close of the public input period, the Penn State community has resorted to media sources covering the controversial issue.

Consideration of Public Opinion

The PGCB has assured the opposing locals that the state will consider the feedback of the community when deciding whether to issue Bally’s a license of operation for College Township. However, the PGCB needs more time to decide if they will grant a license or not. They would not say if they would refuse Bally’s license based purely on public opposition given that College Township did not leave the Category 4 bidding before the August 2019 deadline of the state.

The most likely path to stopping Bally’s project is through Cordish. Whatever decision the PBCB makes, a legal appeal is likely. Cordish will likely appeal if the PGCB approves the Bally’s State College casino. Also, Bally’s is likely to appeal if the PGCB chooses to terminate their plan because the public appears to be against the development or due to the Cordish allegation.