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The College Township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, has commissioned a new study on the potential impact of an upcoming casino in the area. This follows an earlier report, which many said was biased.
The College Township, located near the main campus of the Pennsylvania State University, is closely eyeing the casino project in the nearby Nittany Mall. The property would be located at the location of the former Macy’s department store at the shopping center, only a few miles away from the university.
The $100 million casino project, which is the brainchild of former PSU board of trustees member Ira Lubert, was stuck in regulatory limbo for several years but is now already underway. Lubert secured permission to open the casino in 2020, outbidding the Cordish Companies by pledging $10 million to the $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium.
Cordish eventually launched a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which awarded the permission. However, the court eventually sided with Lubert, greenlighting his Nittany Mall casino project.
The College Township Council is now looking for an independent party to compile a report on the impact the casino would have. The council would soon make its choice and initiate the review, which should be complete by the autumn of 2025.
The Study Will Determine the Property’s Impact
While the study will not have a direct impact on the casino construction, it will gauge the property’s potential impact amid concerns about its proximity to the university.
Although the Econsult previously compiled a report, in which it outlined potential benefits to College Township tourism, the Nittany Mall and nearby hotels, critics accused the study of being biased. Many insisted that the location of the casino could expose students to risks of gambling harm.
College Township’s task would be to confirm or refute these claims and project what the property’s effect on the economy and problem gambling in the area would be.
Pennsylvania Banned 26 People from Gambling Halls
Speaking of gambling harm in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently announced that it has added over two dozen people to the Commonwealth’s involuntary exclusion list. The list currently exceeds 1,269 people and includes people who have violated casino laws in the state.
A significant part of the people on the involuntary exclusion list includes people who have endangered their children by leaving them unattended while visiting casinos or other gaming venues. In this case, Pennsylvania banned 26 people, two of which left three minors, aged 5, 7 and 9 unattended at a vehicle at the Valley Forge Casino Resort while temperatures outside reached 80 degrees. Another person had left an 11-month-old child unattended for 45 minutes in temperatures of around 40 degrees.
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