Pennsylvania gambling board gearing up for first meeting

Mark Scolforo

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 | 9:27 a.m.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold its first meeting in three weeks, and chairman Thomas A. "Tad" Decker is itching to get started.

"We're just interested in trying to make this work," Decker said Monday, outlining plans for a three-day meeting in Harrisburg next month for the board to organize itself and start the task of establishing and regulating slot-machine gambling.

Up to 61,000 slot machines at 14 locations statewide were approved by the Legislature in July, but background checks and snags in the appointment of two members to the seven-person panel have delayed the board from getting under way.

Decker declined to say precisely what will be on the agenda during the Dec. 14-16 sessions at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, but among the most pressing issues are hiring an executive director and finding a building to house the new agency. Those who want gambling and supplier licenses are waiting in the wings for guidance on how to apply.

All of which is easier said than done, Decker said.

"It sounds like it'll take 10 minutes, the way I've described it. It's going to take awhile," he said. "We're still working on a timeline."

Consultants hired by the state Revenue Department have conducted three workshops for state officials who will be involved with the new industry. They provided information on casino security, how other states have implemented slots gambling and the central computer that will monitor every gambling transaction at each location.

The Revenue Department also has prepared research materials for the gambling commission's inaugural meeting.

"I think there's been some good homework done and some good briefing stuff that's been submitted to us," Decker said.

The first meeting will be open to the public and Decker said he expects it to be broadcast on cable television. Four board members were appointed by the Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate, and three by Gov. Ed Rendell.

The seventh and final member, former state Rep. Jeffrey Coy, will join the board on or after Dec. 1.

Coy, D-Franklin, resigned his legislative seat in September immediately before he was named by House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese. Attorney General Jerry Pappert sued to block the appointment, and the state Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Coy could not take the $145,000-a-year job until his term expires Nov. 30.

The background check that he previously underwent will have to be updated. DeWeese spokesman Tom Andrews said the update is not expected to take long.