The inspector general found that an assistant to Mr. Aponte, the Senate secretary, leaked a Senate memorandum detailing the six competing bids to Hank Sheinkopf, an Aqueduct Entertainment lobbyist and a longtime political consultant, in May 2009. On May 12, 2009, Mr. O’Farrell wrote an e-mail to other members of his consortium that said: “On the information leaked so far, we are looking good. Hopefully more today.”

In November, Mr. Sampson disclosed more information about the bidders and their comparative rankings to Mr. Andrews, the report said. The bids were being judged on how much money the bidders would guarantee for the state, how quickly they could open, their financial health and their ability to meet State Lottery licensing requirements.

Bidders were permitted to alter their proposals, and at one point the state even requested that they do so to guarantee more money for the public. The report did not tie either leak to a specific change in Aqueduct Entertainment’s bid, but it did say that on Sept. 23, the group modified its financial projections in such a way that it vaulted from last to first on that criterion (one bidder had dropped out).

The report also said Aqueduct Entertainment had been urged to bring aboard a particular developer, Donald Cogsville. An internal e-mail said this request was “at the insistence of a certain senator,” and one of the group’s members told the inspector general’s office that he believed the senator to be Mr. Sampson.

The report did not say why Mr. Sampson might push Mr. Cogsville’s interests, and the Senate leader told investigators that he could not recall doing so.

At a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Fisch said Mr. Sampson’s testimony lacked credibility. “I stopped counting the number of ‘I don’t recalls’ when I reached 100,” he said.

Mr. Smith, who had publicly recused himself because his mentor, Mr. Flake, was a minor partner in Aqueduct Entertainment, demanded briefings from Senate staff on the bidding and advocated on behalf of Aqueduct Entertainment, the report added. Mr. Smith also had once been a business partner of Darryl Greene, an early member of Aqueduct Entertainment who later dropped out.