Happy Valley Casino has been open for a month. How often have police been called there?
In the five weeks since Happy Valley Casino opened its doors, State College police officers have been called there just six times.
Borough police Capt. Greg Brauser told the Centre Daily Times no charges have been filed in connection with any of the calls — all of which came from the casino, not customers or passersby.
At about one call per week, that falls in line with what was projected by a consulting firm that specializes in the casino gaming and leisure industries.
The data shared by borough police is not indicative of every time police were called to the casino. State police at Rockview have jurisdiction inside the casino, while State College police handle the surrounding area such as the parking lot.
Half of the calls were for what borough police classify as health and safety, a broad category for incidents where someone’s well-being, medical condition or safety may be at risk.
Two of those three were for potentially impaired customers, neither of whom were located by police. The third in that category was for a 78-year-old Clearfield County woman who died of natural causes in the parking lot.
Casino officials have not commented publicly on the death. While police said the investigation was closed, the Centre County Coroner’s Office said it was waiting for toxicology results to determine the cause and manner of death, a process that typically takes four weeks.
Officers were also dispatched for an animal complaint. Brauser said a dog was in a vehicle when it was 50 degrees and the window was down.
The casino’s security also reported what Brauser described as a shoving match in the parking lot. Those involved were gone by the time police arrived, Brauser said. It was classified as a disorderly conduct.
The final call was a request for assistance from a man who did not have transportation.
Brauser said there has been no change in how the area is policed since the casino opened. He said officers were already regularly patrolling that busy area of College Township.
State police issued a summary citation to a 23-year-old Clinton County man for trespassing at the casino. Troopers said in a public information report that he was on a self-exclusion list but still attempted to enter the casino floor.