Latest Information: PGCB's 'Status Report on Applications' Inaccurate Concerning State College Casino Submission
Latest Update: April 22, 2025, 10:57h
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board clarifies that Bally's executive's application with them is for an interactive gaming license - not a principal license with SC Gaming OpCo, LLC. Initially, the Board's document listed the Bally's executive applying for a principal license with the State College casino project. It appears the Board's official document contained an error [1].
Prior Developments:
Last fall, Bally's Corp. exited the development group behind a proposed casino at the Nittany Mall in Pennsylvania's State College near the Penn State University Main Campus. Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board published a document stating an executive at Bally's had applied to be designated as a "principal" of the SC Gaming OpCo, LLC team [1]. However, the Penn State real estate developer Ira Lubert, also a former chair of the university's Board of Trustees, has found a new management firm.
Saratoga Casino Holdings, a family-owned racing and gaming company, steps in as the new operational partner. Saratoga operates the Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Colorado, and Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel in Natchez [3]. Saratoga is also part of a bid for a downstate New York gaming license on Coney Island.
According to the incorrect filings made public April 20 by the PGCB, Elia Trowbridge, the chief compliance officer, and senior vice president at Bally's, had applied for a principal license with SC Gaming OpCo on April 16, 2025 [1]. The PGCB now says the application was wrongly listed, and Trowbridge applied for an interactive gaming license with Bally's [1].
Construction Underway for State College Casino
Fences are up around the former Macy's department store at the Nittany Mall as construction is ongoing for the $120 million project. Lubert and SC Gaming OpCo's latest blueprint includes a casino floor with up to 750 slot machines and 30 live dealer table games, a sportsbook, a sports-themed restaurant, a bar, and a grab-and-go food outlet [2].
Poole Anderson Construction is the casino's contractor. Poole Anderson is co-owned by Robert E. Poole, Jr., who was approved as a principal in SC Gaming OpCo by the PGCB on Jan. 25, 2023 [2].
Additional pending principal licenses with SC Gaming OpCo before the PGCB include Sam, Daniel, and Robert Gerrity. The Gerrity family controls Saratoga Casino Holdings [2].
Bally's is moving forward with the State College casino project, planning for construction to begin in the first half of 2025 [2][4]. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's document regarding Bally's executive license application contained an irregularity or mistake, causing discussion [4].
- Incorrect initial listings by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board have revealed that Bally's executive Elia Trowbridge applied for an interactive gaming license, not a principal one with SC Gaming OpCo, LLC.
- The Penn State real estate developer, Ira Lubert, has found a new operational partner for the State College casino project - Saratoga Casino Holdings.
- Saratoga Casino Holdings, a family-owned company, manages casinos in Saratoga Springs, Colorado, and Natchez, and is also bidding for a New York gaming license on Coney Island.
- The former chief compliance officer and senior vice president at Bally's, Elia Trowbridge, incorrectly appeared in a PGCB document as applying for a principal license with SC Gaming OpCo on April 16, 2025.
- The State College casino project, valued at $120 million, is under construction at the Nittany Mall, and the former Macy's department store serves as the site.
- Poole Anderson Construction, co-owned by Robert E. Poole, Jr., who is a principal in SC Gaming OpCo, is handling the construction of the State College casino.
- Additional pending principal licenses with SC Gaming OpCo before the PGCB include Sam, Daniel, and Robert Gerrity, who control Saratoga Casino Holdings.
- Bally's Corp. is still moving forward with the State College casino project, planning for construction to commence in the first half of 2025.
- Recent discussions surrounding the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's document regarding Bally's executive license application have been sparked by an irregularity or mistake in the document's content.
