Indian Gaming > Column: Arnold bows to powerful gaming tribe

August 28, 2006

Column: Arnold bows to powerful gaming tribe

"There’s nothing quite like an election year for a politician to make new friends and influence people. And it’s all the more touching when those friends turn out to be former bitter adversaries.

That will explain how one of the wealthiest American Indian tribes recently got the deal of a lifetime from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The deal will allow the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to more than double the number of slot machines in its two Palm Springs casinos and bring Las Vegas-scale gambling to the California desert.

Officials from the governor’s office have portrayed the recent pact, which is expected to sail through the Legislature this week, as the result of tough, ongoing negotiations between Schwarzenegger and tribal leaders that will result in a great economic boon for California. And it is true that the state could get about $82 million annually from the pact if the tribe installs all 5,000 slot machines allowed under the deal."

Get the Story:
Ken Garcia: With election nearing, governor kowtows to powerful Indian tribe (The Examiner 8/26)