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DiBartolomeo Steps Down from Caesars20 November 2000Park Place Entertainment Corporation announced that Gary DiBartolomeo has stepped down as president of Caesars Atlantic City. DiBartolomeo was appointed as president in January, but has been on a medical leave of absence since May to be treated for a compulsive gambling condition. "I have decided to step down as president so I can concentrate on my treatment and recovery and the preservation of my ability to work in the industry. I believe that it''s the right thing for me, my family, and Caesars," declared DiBartolomeo. Wallace Barr, Park Place executive vice president, Eastern Region, expressed his support on behalf of Park Place, "We support Gary in his decision to direct all his energies toward getting better and keeping his license. The company intends to help Gary return to work in a responsible position so he can continue his career, contribute to Caesars and support his family." DiBartolomeo quit his $325,000-a-year job on last week to focus on treatment for his addiction. However, he is fighting to retain his license to work in casinos, saying he should not be barred from earning a living because he has a mental illness. Last Thursday, the former president of Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino went before state regulators in a bid to keep his casino license. According to the State, allowing the admitted pathological gambler to keep working in casinos now would be like excusing a drunken driver for causing a fatal crash just because he''s an alcoholic. Deputy Attorney General James Fogarty, representing the Division of Gaming said, “He must be held accountable anyway.” The state Division of Gaming Enforcement says DiBartolomeo, 45, should be banned from working in New Jersey casinos. “The issue is not compulsive gambling,” Fogarty said. “It is DiBartolomeo''s repeated defiance of commission orders and his history of deceit,” he continued. This is not the first time DiBartolomeo has been confronted with evidence of his gambling by casino regulators. In 1995, DiBartolomeo agreed to quit and seek treatment as a condition of his license renewal, but according to Fogarty, he did neither. His case is being heard by a state Casino Control Commission hearing examiner, who is expected to accept five days of testimony before making a recommendation to the full commission. Paul Henderson, currently president of the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort, has been named to the Caesars post, pending regulatory notifications and approvals. Until a successor to Henderson is named, Barr will serve as acting president of the Atlantic City Hilton. |