{"id":3357,"date":"2024-09-20T22:28:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T22:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/?p=3357"},"modified":"2024-09-26T13:29:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T13:29:08","slug":"nittany-mall-casino-developer-hears-penn-state-community-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/nittany-mall-casino-developer-hears-penn-state-community-opposition\/","title":{"rendered":"Nittany Mall Casino Developer Hears Penn State Community Opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The developer of the casino planned for the Nittany Mall in Pennsylvania\u2019s College Township told the local community Thursday night that he hears their concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nittany
SC Gaming CEO Eric Pearson addresses members of the State College community on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. Pearson said the public\u2019s concerns will be addressed, but they should understand that a casino is coming to the Nittany Mall. (Image: C-Net Centre County)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eric Pearson is the CEO of SC Gaming OpCo, LLC, the entity real estate tycoon Ira Lubert formed to bid during the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board\u2019s September 2020 auction round for a Category 4 casino license. Lubert, a Penn State alumnus and former member, vice chair, and chair of the university\u2019s Board of Trustees, won the auction for a so-called \u201cmini-casino\u201d with a tender of a little more than $10 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The project has faced continual delays over the past four-plus years due to a legal challenge brought by the owners of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia against the PGCB on allegations that Lubert violated bidding rules. The legal case reached the Pennsylvania Supreme Court but was ultimately dismissed in July<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During the legal process, thousands of enraged community members spoke out against Lubert\u2019s ambitions to bring a casino with slot machines, table games, and sports betting a few miles from the Penn State University Main Campus. During a College Township City Council meeting on Thursday, Pearson said he\u2019s open to an ongoing dialogue with residents to address their concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We might not agree on everything, but I\u2019m a part of this community just like you and it\u2019s important to us that you are heard,\u201d Pearson said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Pearson offered to meet with anyone who wants to express their views on the project. But the gaming industry veteran and consultant, who also teaches the casino industry part-time at the university in the School of Hospitality Management, didn\u2019t mince words about the Nittany Mall casino\u2019s outlook.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The casino is coming. I\u2019m going to be running it,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Pearson detailed that construction will begin early next year to renovate the Nittany Mall\u2019s former Macy\u2019s department store into a to-be-named casino. The gaming floor is expected to be ready in the first half of 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

We Are\u2026 Opposed<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Casino.org<\/i> has fielded hundreds of comments from community members expressing their deep opposition to Lubert\u2019s casino vision. Only a handful of comments have been in support. Our coverage of Lubert donating $10 million<\/a> to the renovation of Beaver Stadium left a sour taste in many mouths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many opponents attended Thursday\u2019s meeting to express their frustration with not only Lubert but also the township councilors, the latter of whom didn\u2019t motion to opt out of the Cat. 4 casino licensing process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pearson is seemingly tasked with lowering the public\u2019s temperature.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pearson\u2019s College Township appearance follows Bally\u2019s Corporation last week announcing its withdrawal from the Nittany Mall casino<\/a> development. Bally\u2019s had been Lubert\u2019s longtime State College development copartner and was set to manage the property but the Rhode Island-based company said its priorities had since changed, with its $2 billion project in Chicago and possible new casino on the Las Vegas Strip the likely culprits.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Pearson last night met face-to-face with many Nittany Mall casino detractors, including Andrew Shaffer, the man Casino.org <\/i>hears from almost weekly about the latest effort to squash the casino plan. Shaffer expressed his opinion that a casino so near a place of higher learning will result in problem gambling and suicide. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Longtime Lubert Ally<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

According to his LinkedIn and Copper Star Gaming consultancy firm bios, Pearson\u2019s career began in Las Vegas where he climbed the ladder at several Strip casinos. After serving as vice president of gaming at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, Pearson in October 2016 became Lubert\u2019s president and CEO at Valley Forge Casino Resort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pearson remained in the role until Lubert and his co-investors in Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P. sold the King of Prussia property<\/a> in 2018 to Boyd Gaming for $280.5 million.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pearson said Thursday that he\u2019s Lubert\u2019s \u201ccasino guy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Valley Forge Casino Resort was a major financial win for its investors. The casino was the first in Pennsylvania to gain a Cat. 3 license, a resort-style gaming permit that limited access to hotel guests, and the number of gaming positions the casino could offer. People not staying overnight had to make a $10 purchase elsewhere in the resort or buy a casino membership.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Cat. 3 licenses cost $5 million \u2014 $45 million less than the $50 million toll for standalone Cat. 2 casino licenses. <\/span>In part of the state\u2019s 2017 gaming expansion, the state allowed Cat. 3 casinos to pay a $1 million fee to eliminate the entry and gaming position restrictions<\/a>. Cat. 3 casinos, however, were initially prohibited from bidding on the newly authorized Cat. 4 mini-casino opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the PGCB opened up the bidding to individuals holding significant stakes in Cat. 2 slot licenses after bidding stalled, Lubert qualified because he continues to hold a 3% stake in Rivers Casino Pittsburgh.<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Nittany Mall Casino Developer Hears Penn State Community Opposition<\/a> appeared first on Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The developer of the casino planned for the Nittany Mall in Pennsylvania\u2019s College Township told the local community Thursday night that he hears their concerns. SC Gaming CEO Eric Pearson addresses members of the State College community on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. Pearson said the public\u2019s concerns will be addressed, but they should understand that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3357"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3357"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3360,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3357\/revisions\/3360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/restaurace-pohoda.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}