Opinion
Editorial: Good gaming compacts for California


"Two years ago, California voters tried to end their gambling addiction, overwhelmingly rejecting Proposition 70, which would have allowed unlimited expansion of Indian-owned casinos. In the interim, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been playing with the state's money, cutting deals with several tribes that allow them to build giant gambling palaces far bigger than anything in Las Vegas. Against the odds, so far he appears to be winning — for himself and for the state.

Most recently, as Times staff writer Dan Morain reported Wednesday, the governor has reached agreements that would authorize up to 19,500 more slot machines in Southern California. That's worrisome for communities surrounding these potential mega-casinos. But Schwarzenegger has managed to get the state a better deal with the tribes than it had before.

The bad news about such casino pacts is that although they must be approved by the Legislature, they are negotiated without public input, without uniform standards and without any restrictions on a casino's size or location. In the past Schwarzenegger has approved monstrous developments such as a 2,500-slot casino in the Bay Area town of San Pablo, which was later rejected by the Legislature after a public outcry. Such large urban casinos were not what voters envisioned when they approved tribal gambling in 2000."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The Governor's Good Deal (The Los Angeles Times 8/31)
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