The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week unanimously approved a Category 4 license for SG Gaming to build a mini-casino in College Township at the Nittany Mall near Pennsylvania State University.
The approval came after two and a half years of often-negative input from local residents, and court challenges. Construction cannot begin until appeals are exhausted from the latest legal challenge, lodged by
Stadium Casino LLC, the licensee owned by Baltimore-based Cordish Companies that runs the Live! casinos in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Stadium challenged the authority of the gaming board to consider SC Gaming’s license application. Stadium has claimed in the past that Ira Lubert, the Penn State trustee who owns SG Gaming, violated rules by forming new partnerships after the winning bid that raised questions about his ownership.
Attorneys for Stadium Casino argued before the board against the license approval. Officials at Cordish have not indicated whether they will continue the legal challenge in wake of the license approval.
Lubert’s $128 million project is planned for a 94,000-square-foot building that formerly housed a Macy’s anchor store at the Nittany Mall. Category 4 mini-casinos are restricted to 750 slot machines and 40 table games.
