Press release from Rep. Frank Demody House Democratic Leader:

HARRISBURG, Feb. 4 House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody has named Keith R. McCall, of Summit Hill, Carbon County, to a two-year term on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

McCall served 28 years in the House of Representatives, including serving as Speaker during his final term in 2009-10. He voted for the 2004 law that permitted slots gaming at up to 14 venues and established the Gaming Control Board to regulate the new industry.

Keith McCall knows the issues the board has faced in its early years, and he understands the importance of the gaming industry in delivering tax relief and jobs for Pennsylvanians, Dermody said.

He earned a reputation for the highest integrity during his years in the legislature, and he will be a valuable contributor to the work of the seven-member board.

As a committee chairman and then a leader in the House, I traveled all over Pennsylvania, from corner to corner and everywhere in between, McCall said. I am familiar with local concerns in every region of this great Commonwealth. That knowledge will be immediately useful in my work on the Gaming Control Board.

Dermody noted that although the board has been in existence for more than six years, there are still substantive issues to be dealt with to further the growth of gaming in Pennsylvania and maximize property tax relief and job development. He said McCall is ready immediately to work as a board member.

Keith McCall will be ready to deal with the matters facing the board on day one. He has very little homework to do because he helped to write the law that created this board and he monitored gaming developments closely as a House leader, Dermody said. I am proud to name Mr. McCall to the Gaming Control Board.

Video of Keith McCall from June 2010.