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California Slots Debate Heats Up

California’s tribes are going after each other for what they each feel is their rightful piece of the slots pie. After the state agreed to what many felt was an excessive addition of slots by the tribes, several other tribes chimed in and said that they didn’t like it either. They felt that all of them should be getting a larger number of slots, not just the four tribes that are already the largest in the state.

The tribes that are opposing it say that when it comes time for them to ask for an increase, the state will already be so flooded with slots that they won’t stand a chance of getting a large number themselves. All of the propositions that are currently sitting out there are being challenged.

Propositions 94-97 deal with giving the Agua Caliente Band in Palm Springs, the Morongo Band in Banning, the Pechanga Band in Temcula and the Sucuan Band in El Cajon thousands of slots each. They will be able to expand to become the largest tribal slot casinos in the world if the proposals are approved.

The state stands to get about $300 million a year in revenue for signing the slots deals, and they claim that if voters approve the slots deals they will be getting hundreds of millions every year after that as well. The governor tried to get the deal passed through without voter approval, but the opposition wasn’t having any of that.

The tribes, along with several groups opposing the slots, have banded together to get enough signatures that the compacts now have to be ratified by the people and they are hoping that the people will see what a bad idea this number slots are.

Back to December 2007 Archive.