Pocono News Section

Lack of Shared Information with Gaming Board

Lack of Shared Information with Gaming Board - Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 3:33PM EST

Reported by: David DeCosmo
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 @03:33pm EST

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- If proven the charges against Louis DeNaples could cost him his gambling license for the Mount Airy Casino. But the indictments also raise some questions about how that license was issued in the first place.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is the agency that oversees casinos in Pennsylvania. As part of that oversight, background investigations must be done on anyone applying for a slots license. Such a background check was done with regard to Louis DeNaples.

The screening that lead to DeNaple's license for the Mount Airy Casino actually began soon after he filed his application in December of 2005. The agency's Bureau of Investigation compiled a stack of documents that included a section on DeNaple's suitablity to hold a license. The report concluded that he was in fact suitable to hold the casino license. But before making that decision the board also checked with another agency that was conducting an unrelated investigation that apparently involved Mr. DeNaples.

Ray Angeli is a member of the State Gambling Control Board who works out of the Scranton office. He explained "We asked the Pennsylvania State Police directly ‘Do you have any information that would have any impact on the suitability of Mr. DeNaples?’ Their answer was 'No’ and everyone we asked, all the law enforcement agencies, everybody we checked with said no. So at that point we had really no recourse but to find him suitable."

The absence of information from other agencies, according to Angeli, stems from the fact that the Gambling Board's investigators are not lawmen.

"It’s that one issue that we are not a law enforcement agency and they cannot share information with us. It’s unfortunate. But that's the way it’s set up" explained Angeli.

Most agree, if agencies are to share investigatory information it may require new legislation.