The legal battles surrounding a planned Category 4 mini-casino near Pennsylvania State University continue, as Stadium Casino, the subsidiary of Cordish Companies that owns two Pennsylvania casinos, continues its court challenge of the license approved for SC Casino, a developer owned by Penn State alumnus and university trustee Ira Lubert.
Stadium Casino, an unsuccessful applicant for the license, initially challenged the award before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, claiming that Lubert’s business partners were ineligible for casino licensing. The board rejected the challenge, and Stadium Casino appealed to the state Supreme Court. The operator filed a separate lawsuit with the court challenging the board’s authority to decide on the business partners.
The gaming board’s rejection of the request was based on the argument that regulators should wait for the Supreme Court’s decision in the case. Stadium filed a challenge to that decision as well.
The gaming board already approved the license for the Centre County casino, planned for a former Macy’s anchor store in the Nittany Mall. However, under Pennsylvania’s gaming law, a license cannot be issued until all court appeals have been settled. This means it could be years before the project can break ground.
