Casino Control Commission approves dozens of key-employee licenses, remands three for hearings

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission on Dec. 6, 2024, voted to grant a large group of initial and resubmitted casino key employee licenses while remanding three applications for contested‑case hearings. Commissioners approved routine procedural items, accepted delegated staffing approvals and heard testimony from at least one applicant during the meeting.

Commission business began with ratification of the Nov. 13, 2024 public‑meeting minutes and adoption of the commission’s 2025 public‑meeting schedule. The commission then considered initial casino key‑employee license applications; staff and the Division of Gaming Enforcement recommended that five initial applications be granted, with objections on three applicants. The commission granted the five and voted to remand the three identified matters (Vincent Morrow; Earl A. McClinton; and George S. Williams) to the contested‑case hearing process.

The commission then reviewed about two dozen resubmitted key‑employee applications. Staff recommended that 20 resubmissions be granted; the commission approved those 20 by motion and voice vote. Several additional resubmissions were called separately. The commission granted a resubmission with a multi‑casino endorsement (MCE) for Craven Turner III to serve as a casino cage supervisor pursuant to NJSA 5:12‑91.1. The resubmission application for Lillian Troche (also listed as Lillian Hernandez Aviles) drew an objection from the Division and was remanded to the contested‑case process.

Other individual approvals recorded in roll call votes included Donna M. Angeli (vice president, chief information officer, Resorts Atlantic City), Joseph T. Cavalla (vice president, casino operations, Resorts Atlantic City), Diane M. Dixon (vice president, purchasing and retail, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City), Stephen J. Ebner, Robert J. Ellis III (granted with a multi‑casino endorsement), Paul J. Giuliano (resubmission granted with a waiver of the residency requirement under NJSA 5:12‑89(b)), and Christopher J. O’Connor. Votes where roll call was recorded show unanimous affirmative votes by the three commissioners present.

The commission also considered administrative items including delegated approvals issued by the Regulatory Affairs Division for Nov. 1–30, 2024 (temporary key employee licenses and similar actions), and granted requests to inactivate five key‑employee licenses for up to five years. Separately, staff recommended and the commission found that nine licenses had lapsed for failure to file required review applications pursuant to NJAC 19:41‑a‑6.1(f).

During the resubmission hearing for William F. Callahan — the applicant seeking continued qualification as general manager and chief gaming executive for AC OceanWalk LLC — commissioners pressed him on several matters raised in the Division’s report, including litigation in which he had been named and the transfer of data between an employer‑issued phone and a personal phone. Callahan testified that the transferred material was personal in nature, that a forensic review showed no use of employer data to obtain his Ocean position, and that related prior matters were settled with no admission of liability.

The meeting closed with an announcement of the next closed session (Jan. 8, 2025) and a public‑comment period during which no members of the public spoke and no emailed comments were received. The commission adjourned after a brief holiday greeting exchange.

A full list of individuals whose licenses were acted upon, and the commission’s recorded motions and roll‑call outcomes, are included in the meeting record and staff materials filed with the commission.