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Happy Valley Casino has officially opened in College Township, Pennsylvania, ending a development process that stretched for years and included regulatory reviews, ownership changes and court challenges.
The new gaming venue is located inside the former Macy’s building at Nittany Mall on East College Avenue, a short distance from Penn State University and Beaver Stadium. State regulators cleared the property to begin operations after two required test days were completed successfully.
The opening gives Center County its first casino and adds a Category 4 mini-casino to Pennsylvania’s expanded gaming market.
Years of Planning Before Opening Day
The project traces back to Pennsylvania’s 2017 Gaming Expansion Act, which created the framework for Category 4 casinos. College Township was the only municipality in the Center Region that did not opt out of possible casino development, citing hopes that such a project could help revive the Nittany Mall corridor.
Investor Ira Lubert, a Penn State alumnus and former university board chair, won the September 2020 auction for the license with a $10 million bid. He later filed an application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The licensing path then became tied up in litigation. Stadium Casino, linked to the Cordish Companies, challenged the award and argued the bid structure should invalidate the license. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the license in January 2023, while a later appeal was dismissed by the state Supreme Court in July 2024.
Construction moved ahead in earnest after those rulings. Bally’s Corporation, which had initially partnered on the development, exited the project in September 2024. SC Gaming later reached an agreement with Saratoga Casino Holdings, and the transaction closed in January 2026.
Construction began in March 2025.
Regulators Maintained Long On-Site Presence
Pennsylvania officials said compliance oversight was continuous rather than limited to the final inspection phase.
“Gregg and all his staff have been here since the first day they began construction on all this,” said Doug Harbach, director of communications for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
“They are here making sure that everything is progressing the way it should and [that the casino isn’t] doing something that wasn’t in the plans or foreseen by the gaming control board.
“So this isn’t just a come in here in the last couple days and try to check things out. This is a month by month by month look at what’s happening at this point.”
Gregg Hazzouri, director of the Bureau of Casino Compliance, said the review process covers extensive requirements.
“There’s about a thousand pages of regulations that we have to make sure that they’re in compliance with,” he said. “On top of that, there’s over a thousand pages of internal controls that they submitted that we need to make sure are, one, in compliance with our regulation; two, that they’re actually doing [it] on-site.”
Officials said a smaller permanent compliance presence will remain on site, while technical staff continue to inspect gaming machines.
“Our role here is to make sure that the law and the regulations are being followed,” Harbach said.
Gaming Floor, Dining and Operating Hours
Happy Valley Casino opens daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., according to PennLive. Other reports described 24-hour plans tied to grand opening operations.
The property launches with 600 slot machines and 30 live table games, including blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat. Pennsylvania law allows up to 750 slot machines for this license category.
Two food venues are part of the initial offering. Aces Social serves sit-down pub-style meals with sports viewing areas, while Lucky Break Café focuses on quick-service options. A central bar also serves beer, wine and spirits.
Guests can join the casino rewards program to earn points redeemable for slot play, dining, merchandise and promotional offers.
To mark the opening, the casino announced drawings and giveaways tied to the first official celebration.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for our team and the entire community as we open the doors to Happy Valley Casino,” said Eric Pearson, General Manager of Happy Valley Casino. “We’re proud to introduce a vibrant new destination where guests can enjoy top-tier gaming, great food and rewarding experiences. From day one, our focus has been on creating an atmosphere that’s welcoming, energetic and full of opportunity—and we can’t wait for our guests to be part of it.”zzzzzzzzzzzzzPearson also highlighted Pennsylvania’s regulatory systems.
“The commonwealth maintains — which is almost unique in the industry nationwide — a separate monitoring system that’s in addition to the one that we use. You’re not going to find a jurisdiction anywhere else in the country that has a more sophisticated or built-out regulator for land-based casinos than Pennsylvania,” he said.