Regulator Lauded for Assistance in Racing Services Case

Paul Bowlinger, who will become executive vice president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International Jan. 1, 2006, has received a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division, for assisting law enforcement personnel in the Racing Services Inc. case in North Dakota.

Bowlinger had served as executive director of the North Dakota Horse Racing Commission before he left to take a job as executive director of the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association. NAPRA earlier in December announced a merger with RCI that creates one unified group of racing regulators.

Racing Services and its founder, Susan Bala, were prosecuted and convicted in 2005 on charges of running an illegal gambling parlor. U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley, in a letter, said Bowlinger's "comprehensive understanding of the subject matter" was critically important during the trial.