Happy Valley Casino official reflects on timeline, wait as it prepares to open
Happy Valley Casino’s general manager knows the community has long waited for this to open — but so has he.
Eric Pearson was officially tapped as the casino’s GM within days of the business forming in September 2020. Penn State alum and real-estate magnate Ira Lubert started it shortly after winning a $10 million bid for the mini-casino license nearly six years ago.
Construction was expected to start by the end of 2021. But then Pearson and the public waited. And waited. And waited.
“If I’m truly honest, we’ve been focused on just solving the problems and getting everything ready to open that I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet,” Pearson said Thursday about finally opening. “If I sort of sat and thought about that question longer, I’d probably get emotional about it.
“But this is a real big deal for me. Personally, it’s been a lot of hard work for most of that development cycle.”
It hasn’t been an easy road to get to this point, but Pearson was all smiles Thursday as he welcomed the media to a guided tour of the casino. The 21-and-older public will be invited from 2-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for “test days,” or a soft opening of sorts, to ensure everything’s working as intended.
Barring any serious issues, Happy Valley Casino is expected to announce its official opening as early as Monday.
“For me, I have sort of like a ‘Proud Papa’ kind of view on it,” Pearson said with a smile. “I’m incredibly proud to have created nearly 400 jobs, a lot in the hospitality sector.”
Despite the nearly six-year timeline, officials intimated there was never any realistic debate about scrapping the casino. Lubert was already on the hook for his multi-million-dollar bid, whether he built anything or not, and attempting to relocate would’ve been impractical bordering on impossible due to the regulatory hurdles.
The main holdup for the casino construction was a legal and bureaucratic quagmire that was sparked by a lawsuit filed from the losing bidder for the mini-casino license. The loser, a subsidiary of Cordish Holdings, accused Lubert and his group of circumventing state rules that allowed only eligible bidders with existing casino interests to participate.
Although Lubert was eligible, Cordish Holdings’ subsidiary said his bid should be invalid because he essentially served as a “Trojan Horse” and used noneligible partners. A judge eventually ruled in Lubert’s favor.
“I think the strength of (Cordish’s) position was vastly over-reported in the press, so I was never worried that we were going to lose,” Pearson said. “It was just that every month it wasn’t resolved, it just prevented us from creating those 400 jobs and making the investment in State College. ... To be honest with you, I don’t think a whole lot about the lawsuit and the delays. I’m excited for what we’ve actually done.”
The casino underwent a number of changes in its vision. In 2021, Bally’s publicly announced its partnership with Lubert, and publicized plans included constructing a $120 million casino open 24/7 with a sportsbook.
By 2024, Bally’s announced it was moving on from the partnership. And, this past December, Saratoga Casino Holdings officially became the majority partner (60%). The casino now has plans to remain open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and there are no more plans for a sportsbook.
It wasn’t immediately known whether the price tag still approached $120 million.
Still, while some have raised concerns about the potential for gambling addictions, the economic boost should remain very real. According to Pearson, about 380 staff members — a majority of which are full-time — have been hired at the casino, and home municipality College Township is expected to receive about $1.2 million annually from the casino, in addition to Centre County itself.
That money flows to the municipality and county because, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, those two entities each take a 2% share of slot machines and 1% share of table games from Happy Valley Casino. Businesses at the mall have also expressed hope it could increase foot traffic and help their bottom line.
This isn’t exactly the same casino many expected in 2020. But, after a change in partners, increasing costs, a pandemic and two U.S. presidents, Happy Valley Casino is nearly open. Finally.
And Pearson is grateful for where he stands — and where he came from.
“My mom was a cocktail waitress in casinos,” Pearson said. “And because of that job when I got sick, I went to the doctor and we had insurance. When it was time for me to go to school, she was able to help me do that. And if she was a waitress literally anywhere else ... then none of that would have been possible.
“That’s a real thing that I feel I want to do for the next generation, so they can benefit and create those experiences and improvements in their family that I got the benefit of growing up to. I wouldn’t be here today doing this if not for my mom having that job.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 4:52 PM.
