With stores closing and customers dwindling, the Nittany Mall fell out of favor with residents and students alike, remaining half-vacant for years. After five years of contract disputes and construction, though, a new hope has filled the space, hidden by red tape and construction equipment. The new Happy Valley Casino has taken over the mall.

Penn State alumnus Ira Lubert won an auction for the space in September 2020 with a $10 million bid. The new casino will be built in the former Macy’s department store at 2901 E College Ave. in State College. After settling court cases with competitors, construction finally began last summer, and the crew has worked around the clock since then to ready the space by March 2026. Lubert, along with his team, hopes to open by the end of spring, marking the first casino in all of Centre County.

At a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board meeting in August 2021, Lubert called State College “a local community in need of additional economic engines.” Many community members, however, do not share Lubert’s vision of the new space and have spoken out publicly in opposition.

Part of the drawn-out process to begin construction was due to the transfer of majority ownership to Saratoga Casino Holdings, an Upstate New York-based gaming company. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the transfer of ownership in June. The majority ownership transfer to Saratoga Casino Holdings became official at the beginning of January.

Lubert was formerly partnered with the large gambling conglomerate Bally’s Corporation before they exited the project in the fall to focus on their other locations.

The space will include 600 slot machines, table games, and two food and beverage spots for players to kick back and refuel.

Happy Valley Casino also houses its very own dealer school, offering free tuition, paid training, and a guaranteed job after graduation in the new location.

“We’re opening this casino in an area where there’s not a lot of existing table game dealers to draw from,” CEO and general manager Eric Pearson said. “We’ve always known that we would be doing our own training programs.”

According to Pearson, between the dealer school, restaurants, and regular casino staff, the new spot will bring over 350 jobs to Centre County. 

While construction continues for the project, the current home base exists in an old Shoe Depot store, where all the offices, slot machines, and the dealer school currently reside.

“We like to call it our launch pad,” Pearson said. “This is where our rocket blasts off from.”

Pearson emphasized the growth opportunities the casino industry has. His mother was a cocktail waitress, and he himself went from bussing tables in a casino in Nevada at 16 years old to his CEO position today. No experience is necessary for registration into the dealer school, and he encourages anyone interested to apply.

Besides the few position-specific managers and executives needed for training, the majority of the staff have been hired from right here in Centre County or one of the adjacent counties. 

“That’s always been a focus for us,” Pearson said.

The casino has brought mixed reactions from the Nittany Mall community, with some in mall management worried that it will bring more crime, while others say that the crime that’s here will continue regardless. The Nittany Mall hopes that the added foot traffic will bring more customers and new stores back to the strip.

“The hope is that people are going to be fighting for spaces,” a Nittany Mall management employee who wishes to stay anonymous said. 

While much of the new construction in State College is geared towards the undergraduates of Penn State, Happy Valley Casino hopes to fill a different hole.

Marketing manager Alana Woelk pointed out the need for more post-grad attractions.

“I think we’re looking at State College as a whole, not particularly students,” Woelk said. “I think once you graduate, that’s actually a very underserved market in this area.”

Pearson hopes that the new spot will offer a nightlife hub for folks who may be older and living in State College who aren’t interested in mingling with students in the busy downtown area. 

Despite the mixed reactions, the casino’s projected economic impact will strengthen the Dale Summit Area where the mall is located, and the job opportunities will bring growth in a new area of hospitality not seen before in Centre County.

“We’re excited to bring those jobs and opportunities,” Pearson said. “This is an industry I’ve worked in my whole life, and I’m excited for these careers to come to the community.”