Happy Valley Casino holds grand opening, awards 2 big checks to local charities
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Happy Valley Casino presented two checks of $81,124.94 each to local charities.
- More than 24,000 visitors entered the nonsmoking casino since its April 27 opening.
- Happy Valley Casino operates daily 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., with table games 4 p.m. to midnight.
Dozens of well-dressed officials stood near an entrance to Happy Valley Casino on Friday afternoon to celebrate its official grand opening, while two oversized checks were presented to a pair of Centre County charities.
Founding casino partner Ira Lubert opened the ceremony with a few words before YMCA of Centre County and State College Food Bank were eventually given two large checks, proceeds from the casino’s two “test days” last month.
Each nonprofit received a separate check for $81,124.94.
“We were pretty surprised by the amount, to be honest with you,” Scott Mitchell, CEO of YMCA of Centre County, told the crowd. “We’re going to be able to do a lot of work with this amount of money, so I just want to thank everyone that worked really hard over the last 7-9 years to get this done.”
The casino was publicly announced six years ago, before a legal and bureaucratic quagmire delayed construction. But Lubert, a Penn State alum and real-estate magnate, revealed Friday that he had his eyes set on a Centre County casino for closer to nine years.
And not everyone was initially on board, including Happy Valley Casino’s current general manager.
“I called Ira back and went, ‘I don’t know if this would really make sense,’” casino GM Eric Pearson recalled of the roughly 9-year-old conversation. “And he said, ‘You don’t understand. You got to go. You got to see it. ...’
“And all it took was one trip. Ira and I came over, drove around, went through Penn State, the surrounding communities, and immediately I saw what he saw — and that is the potential in this community ...”
According to Pearson, since the nonsmoking casino opened April 27, more than 24,000 have entered its doors while more than 10,000 have signed up for players club cards.
During Friday’s grand opening, the parking lot nearest the casino was nearly full while an unending stream of people flowed toward the casino’s doors. To formally celebrate, Happy Valley Casino pledged to give away $10,000 in prizes from 4-9 p.m. Friday — with five winners getting $1,000 cash and 25 winners receiving $200 in free slot play.
Commemorative coins were also supposed to be issued to the first 1,500 guests — although visitors were instead given vouchers since the coins didn’t arrive in time.
“We are nothing without the Happy Valley community, and we do not take this opportunity and the responsibility of this opportunity lightly,” said Sam Gerrity, CEO of Saratoga Casino Holdings, a majority partner of the casino.
Multiple casino officials were on hand, in addition to former state Sen. Jake Corman and College Township council member Eric Bernier. The ribbon-cutting was initially expected to be held outside but, due to rain, it was moved inside the largely empty Nittany Mall near the (typically closed) inside entrance to the casino.
Lubert, who called State College a second home, intimated the long wait to open Happy Valley Casino and walk through it was entirely worth it. He said the area needed more entertainment options, and he believed the casino could become a “cornerstone for the community.”
“I have great conviction that this is going to really help the community,” he added. “And that’s why I’ve put a lot of time and personal effort into it.”
Happy Valley Casino is open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., with table games open from 4 p.m. to midnight.
