More gambling pacts signed by Schwarzenegger
In a move that could send tens of billions of dollars directly into state coffers, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed deals with several Indian tribes allowing them to move forward with a plan to install thousands of new slot machines.
Three tribes who once operated 2,000 machines each will see that number almost triple to around 7,500 units, the administration said earlier this week. The latest deals which were announced on Wednesday, are somewhat of a contradiction for Schwarzenegger, who originally opposed unlimited gambling expansion on Indian lands. Two of the agreements include a deal that will see the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation install up to 3,000 machines at its El Cajon casino and resort and the Yurok Tribe enter the gambling fray with the introduction of 99 slots on its reservation in Humbolt and Del Norte Counties.
The deals which are generally signed for 30 years will significantly increase the amount gambling revenue paid annually to the state’s general fund. The contracts still must pass through the US Department of Interior and the State Legislature. The amount of pacts to be approved will be determined on Thursday before lawmakers adjourn for the year.
Part of Schwarzenegger’s campaign platform was ensuring voters that tribes would pay “a fair share� of gambling profits to the State. The Governor in signing the recent compacts said that they are a “great deal for the state, tribes and local communities.� Despite opposition from labor unions, and anti-gambling groups, it looks like California will forge ahead with deals that will allow for some of the largest slot parlors in the country, as even the biggest casinos in Las Vegas contain only 3,000 machines.
- Danny Davis