Office of the Attorney General
David Samson, Attorney General
Thomas N. Auriemma, Acting Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 31, 2002

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Aseltine (609) 292-4791

Thomas N. Auriemma is Confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as
Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

TRENTON - Thomas N. Auriemma was unanimously confirmed today by the New Jersey Senate as Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement. Auriemma, a Chatham Township resident, has served in New Jersey's casino regulatory system since 1978. He has held the position of Deputy Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement since 1994.

During his 24 years as a gaming regulator, Auriemma has handled some of the most significant issues in casino gambling, including the 1982 disqualification of Hugh Hefner and the Playboy Casino Hotel, the assessment of the financial stability of the Trump organization in the early 1990's and, more recently, the licensing of Sol Kerzner of Sun International. Auriemma also serves as the Secretary to the International Association of Gaming Regulators and is a frequent speaker and participant in gaming conferences around the world. Gaming Enforcement is a division of the Department of Law and Public Safety, headed by State Attorney General David Samson.

"Tom is an outstanding leader who brings a wealth of experience and perspective to this position,” said Attorney General Samson. “It has been a personal and professional privilege for me to be able to work with him. He knows every aspect of casino regulation and understands the vital role of the Division of Gaming Enforcement in ensuring the strength and integrity of New Jersey’s gaming industry. Tom is the one man who enjoys the respect of both government regulators and the gaming industry, and he will enhance the Division’s reputation as an internationally respected casino regulatory agency."

"I am deeply honored by Governor McGreevey’s and Attorney General Samson's confidence in me. I look forward to leading the Division as we await the opening of a new casino hotel and face the regulatory challenges of technological advances in the ever changing casino industry," said Auriemma.

A graduate of Seton Hall University and Seton Hall Law School, Auriemma served as a Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice before becoming a staff attorney and later Deputy Director of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission's Legal Division. He then accepted a position at the Division of Gaming Enforcement in 1986, becoming one of a few individuals to have worked for both the Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Casino Control Commission.

Auriemma replaces John Peter Suarez, who has been appointed to an enforcement position in the Environmental Protection Agency. Auriemma was named Acting Director of DGE after Suarez’s departure in March of this year.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement, which recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, was established in 1977 under the Casino Control Act to ensure the integrity of the casino industry in New Jersey. Its mission is to protect the public interest by maintaining a legitimate and viable industry, free from the influences of organized crime, and to ensure the honesty, integrity, and good character of casino owners, operators, employees, and vendors. The Division performs its mission through enforcement of the Casino Control Act and related regulations, which were designed to ensure a strictly regulated and economically sound casino gaming industry. Oversight by the Division includes investigations, inspections and audits, as well as criminal and regulatory prosecutions.

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