by KYW’s Tony Romeo

Governor Rendell rejects the notion that a scandal rocking Pennsylvania’s young gaming industry has given the state a black eye.

A Poconos casino owner has been charged with perjury for allegedly lying to Gaming Control Board investigators about his connections to crime figures during the licensing process. Since then, recriminations have been intense with a gaming board member this past week publicly lambasting two top state police officials who he says “misled” him about casino owner Louis DeNaples.

But Governor Rendell shrugs off the suggestion that the reputation of Pennsylvania’s gaming industry has suffered:

“Oh, New Jersey has knocked out three of its casinos in its 20-year history for ties to organized crime, and nobody thinks there’s anything wrong with gaming in New Jersey.”

The Governor does say, however, Pennsylvania has to address problems caused by laws cited by state police that they say prevent them from sharing information about ongoing criminal investigations with gaming regulators.