'Barstow, smack in the middle of the desert route to Nevada's gaming resorts, seems suddenly to see itself as California's new gambling mecca in the making.

The City Council, which first approved a deal for an Indian casino two years ago, now is busily lining up not one, not two, but three Indian casinos on the edge of town with three different tribes.

Whoa there hold on a minute.

Although casinos could spur the city's economy and provide thousands of jobs, full-scale Nevada-style gambling is not what California voters had in mind when they OK'd reservation gaming.

And off-reservation gaming, which is what lies in store for Barstow, is not something that's in the cards as far as state or federal law is concerned."

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Barstow casino plans diverge from gaming act (The Whittier Daily News 7/26)