HARRISBURG — A top official in the state attorney general’s office was picked Friday to be chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, as Gov. Tom Corbett selected a prosecutor from a law enforcement agency that has spent considerable time investigating the state’s casino regulator.

Bill Ryan was Corbett’s top deputy when the Republican governor was the state attorney general for six years. A former two-term Delaware County district attorney, Ryan also spent four months earlier this year as acting attorney general after Corbett became governor in January.

It was during Ryan’s term as acting attorney general that the office issued a scathing, 102-page grand jury report that recounted the political calculations necessary to legalize casino-style gambling, criticized the board’s use of secret meetings and suggested the agency awarded licenses to unsuitable applicants.

“Bill’s proven integrity and more than three decades of experience as a prosecutor will serve him well as the new chairman of the gaming control board,” Corbett said in a statement.