Saratoga Casino Holdings Earns License for Happy Valley Casino at Nittany Mall

^{A rendering of the planned Happy Valley Casino at Nittany Mall, which is scheduled to open in spring 2026 after Saratoga Casino Holdings received a gaming license for the facility. (Photo: courtesy of Happy Valley Casino)}

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has issued a gaming license to Saratoga Casino Holdings, which will allow the company to operate the planned Happy Valley Casino in College Township, Pennsylvania.

The casino will open at the Nittany Mall, near Penn State University, with a planned opening in spring 2026.

Casino Expected to be Completed by March 30

The awarding of the license comes a month after the PGCB initially gave approval to the casino to operate both slot machines and table games.

“As a third-generation, family-run business with more than 80 years in the horse racing industry and 20 years in casino, hotel, and entertainment operations, we are extremely proud to receive our Pennsylvania gaming license,” Saratoga Casino Holdings CEO Sam Gerrity said in a statement. “This milestone further expands our diversification within the gaming industry and reflects our long-standing commitment to operating best-in-class gaming facilities.”

Saratoga Casino Holdings now holds gaming licenses in four states, including Colorado, Mississippi, and New York as well as Pennsylvania. 

The company is developing the Happy Valley Casino in partnership with SC Gaming. Last month, the developers told the PGCB that casino construction is expected to be completed by March 30, 2026. 

Initial Rollout Will Leave Room for Growth

The casino is planned to open with 600 slot machines and 30 table games, with the capacity to hold as many as 750 machines in total. However, there are no plans to add a poker room, sports betting, or an iGaming component at this time. The facility will also feature multiple dining options for visitors.

“One of the ways to build excitement is just adding new games on the floor,” SC Gaming attorney Michael Fabius told the PGCB when explaining the decision to open with only 600 machines last month. “And if we’re at capacity at 750 and can’t go to 751, that means we have to remove games from the floor to add something new…having that 150 also allows us to invest and add without subtracting.”

Among the selling points for Happy Valley Casino is the promise of new jobs. Developers have said that they plan to employ close to 300 people at the venue, and the casino is holding a dealer school program in order to train individuals interested in working the casino’s table games.

SG Gaming first paid a $10 million Category 4 Slot Machines licensing fee in September 2020. In 2021, the company announced plans to partner with Bally’s on the Nittany Mall project, but that agreement ended in September 2024. That led to Saratoga Casino Holdings coming on the project in March 2025.

The total cost to build the casino is estimated at approximately $120 million, with another $2.5 million having been paid in fees to run table games at the facility last month. Happy Valley Casino will be the 18th commercial casino or racino operating in Pennsylvania when it opens.