Say No to the Nittany Mall Casino!


The State College community's documented opposition to the proposed Nittany Mall Casino outweighs the documented support for the proposed casino by an overwhelming margin.

Note: On August 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) published 43 additional public feedback messages regarding the proposed casino at the Nittany Mall. These messages had been submitted via the PGCB website between May 22, 2022 and June 12, 2022, but they were lost in processing and were not included with the rest of the public feedback that was published earlier. The PGCB was able to locate these messages and publish them after inquiries from concerned members of the community. The chart above and the discussion below have been updated to reflect these additional messages.

Ira Lubert and Bally's Corporation are proposing to develop a new casino at the Nittany Mall. However, the PGCB has not yet voted to approve or deny the license for this casino, and there is still time for the casino's development to be stopped!

The PGCB accepted public feedback regarding this casino proposal by e-mail at boardclerk@pa.gov until Sunday, June 12th, 2022 at 5:00 pm. A total of 1,023 messages opposing the proposed casino were submitted directly to the PGCB before the feedback deadline. An additional 575 messages were recorded via the online petition opposing the casino and also submitted before the deadline. Additionally, online and hard-copy petitions opposing the casino were both submitted before the deadline including signatures from at least 3,300 distinct individuals who would be negatively impacted by the proposed casino. Across all of these sources, a total of 4,898 messages of all types have been submitted in opposition to the proposed casino, whereas only 115 messages of all types have been submitted in support of the project.

PGCB representative Doug Harbach has previously noted that not all casino licenses get approved. He has indicated that the PGCB is reviewing all of the community feedback that is sent in about the Nittany Mall Casino very closely to determine not only what is in the best interest of the Commonwealth, but also what is in the best interests of our community (see this WPSU program on gambling in Pennsylvania between 27:25-28:30 for more details). The citizens of State College and the surrounding communities expect the PGCB to keep its word and to deny the license for the proposed Nittany Mall Casino on the basis of the overwhelming public opposition that has been expressed regarding the proposed project.

All of the feedback that has been submitted to the PGCB is available for public review on College Township's Casino Information Page under the "PA Gaming Control Board" tab. There are also hundreds of additional comments opposing the casino that were submitted directly to the College Township Council available for public review under the "College Township" tab of the Casino Information Page.

The summary petition documents are available here:
Several online resources have been set up to help organize opposition to the proposed casino at the Nittany Mall: Past letters to the editor written in opposition to the Nittany Mall Casino in local media publications include the following:
  1. Rethink, repurpose Nittany Mall
  2. Where is the outrage?
  3. Make your voice heard on proposed casino
  4. Speak out against proposed casino
  5. Continue to make your voice heard about casino
  6. Casinos steal from the poor
  7. Long-term impacts of casino must be considered
  8. 'Casino chaos' not needed in Centre County
  9. Speak up now against proposed casino
  10. Too many negatives for proposed casino
  11. Resolve to stop proposed casino
  12. Centre County not a winner with casino
  13. Speak up about proposed casino
  14. Casino could harm local economy
  15. Mall casino not a safe bet
  16. Casino chaos can be avoided
  17. 'Dubious' benefits from proposed casino
  18. Voice opposition to casino now
  19. Casino is a losing proposition
  20. Casino will be unprofitable and harmful
  21. Keep up fight against casino
  22. Casino studies raise questions
  23. Objection to gambling casino
  24. Save the last remaining haven from land-based casinos
  25. Casino questions need answers
  26. Would a Nittany Mall casino be worth it?
  27. Focus on real community needs in 2022
  28. Is a casino the best use for the Nittany Mall?
  29. Would a casino bring problem gambling to Happy Valley?
  30. Casino would be a detriment to Centre County
  31. Casino doesn't make sense
  32. Centre County doesn't need a casino
  33. Pennsylvania is addicted to gambling
  34. What is PSU's position on the proposed casino?
  35. Casino sets a bad example
  36. Casino silence from Penn State equals consent
  37. An open letter to Penn State President Eric Barron
  38. Will Penn State leaders speak out about casino?
  39. Opposed to casino
  40. Casino will tempt too many
  41. Casino not worth the risk
  42. Casino concerns are real
  43. Casino brings community to crossroad of values
  44. Casino puts county at a crossroad
  45. Another open letter to PSU President
  46. Can't ignore a casino
  47. Citizens want to defeat casino
  48. The Shoulds and Should Nots of proposed casino
  49. Weighing both sides of the casino debate
  50. No Casino Here
  51. Casinos Sell Addiction
  52. Casino Would Harm Local Economy, Residents
  53. Cost of Casino Problems is High
  54. Still Time to Stop Nittany Mall Casino
  55. Casinos Feed Off Addiction
  56. Questions Abound with Casino
  57. Now Is the Time for Penn State to Take a Stand on Nittany Mall Casino
  58. Casino would be 'destructive'
  59. Casinos bring concerning behavior
  60. Columnist Didn't Address Arguments Against Casino
  61. Casino Would Harm Community
  62. Open Letter to Penn State University President Bendapudi
  63. How Much Would Police Calls Really Increase with New Casino?
  64. Casino Would Hurt Us All
  65. Casinos Are Playing with a Stacked Deck
  66. Stop the Casino
  67. Casino Tax Bait and Switch
  68. Casino would bring only negatives
  69. 'Grim' Future with Casino
  70. Remember Actions on Casino at the Ballot Box
  71. Consider Casino When Voting in November
  72. The Trust Stops Here
Our community's opposition to the casino has also received attention in both the local and the national media: Resources specifically opposing the proposed Nittany Mall Casino: Resources about potential options to revitalize the Nittany Mall without a casino: Resources about casino-related child neglect: Resources about casino-related human trafficking: Resources about casino-related money laundering: Resources about casino-related embezzlement: Resources about other casino-related crimes: Resources about crime at other casinos operated by the developers of the proposed casino at the Nittany Mall: Resources about gambling addiction (especially among college students): Resources about the harms caused by gambling addiction: Resources about how casinos intentionally exploit gambling addicts: Resources about the negative impacts of casinos on their host communities: Resources about the predatory partnership between the gambling industry and the government: Resources about the negative impacts of sports betting (e.g. casino sports books): Consolidated research documents detailing the social and economic harms caused by casinos: Resources for treatment of gambling addiction: Educational resources about the impacts of casinos and gambling addiction: Gambling-related statistics: General information related to gambling: Information about the denial of a license for the casino proposed in Gettysburg: Information about Pennsylvania's Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act: For further reading: