Jul 24, 2006 6:20 pm US/Eastern
Gaming Chairman Speaks On Slots Lic. Controversy
by Jon Delano
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Today, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is speaking out for the first time about slots distributor licenses being awarded by the board to minor children.
KDKA's Political Editor Jon Delano first reported this story last Friday.
When two minor children were finger-printed last week because that's required of anyone involved in Pennsylvania's new gaming industry -- the first reaction was -- what's going on here?
The top gaming control official says he's not happy about it but state law allows children to get one of those middle-man distributor licenses to sell slot machines to the casinos.
"When you know that a two-year old is the principal interest of a gaming company that ought to tell you how imperative it is to have a middleman in Pennsylvania," said State Sen. Jane Orie\(R) McCandless.
"I think the license is actually in the name of a two-year old boy, and that's really a front, and it's so obvious that I cannot imagine that the Gaming Board did that," said Jim Roddey, a slots distributor licensee.
Well, that's exactly what the gaming board did -- awarding a slots distributor license to Liberty Gaming Distributors, partially owned by the family trust of a Pennsylvania lobbyist -- Stephen R. Wojdak -- who, under the law cannot get a license.
It turns out the owners and beneficiaries of that trust are Wojdak's two minor children.
On Marty Griffin's radio talk show, gaming board chairman Tad Decker said the board's hands were tied.
"The board does not have the authority to overrule the statute," said Decker. "Now it's great to do the TV, radio, and call-in and yell and scream about it, but there is not a darn thing that we can do about it as a board but because we'll be sued, right, and that'll be reversed."
Decker said the board made it clear that Wojdak cannot be involved in or benefit from his kids' trust.
"I can assure the people of Pennsylvania that if Mr. Wojdak is involved in this trust or anyone else who is not an applicant is involved in these businesses, we're going to crack down, well, we'll indeed crack down," said Decker.
Decker says he doesn't like the loophole that allows family trusts to own operator or distributor licenses but it will take the legislature to change that something State Senator Jane Orie wants to make happen in September.
"This is our chance," she said. "This is it. This is our last chance."
Both Orie and Decker, the chairman of the Gaming Control Board, don't like this middle-man loophole that allows kids to be a beneficial owner of a slots distributor license.
But, so far, no word from Harrisburg that the legislature will make any changes when they return to work in September.
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