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Off-reservation casino supporters still hopeful



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Supporters of off-reservation gaming in Barstow, California, aren't giving up even though state lawmakers voted down two casino compacts.

The Big Lagoon Rancheria and the Los Coyotes Band of Mission Indians want to operate side-by-side casinos near Interstate 15. They signed compacts with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) but state lawmakers killed the deals this week.

The Chemehuevi Tribe also wants a Barstow casino but hasn't signed a deal. A clause in the Big Lagoon/Los Coyotes compacts requires the state to forfeits its share of gaming revenues if any other casinos are opened with 40 miles.

Barstow is about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Neither Big Lagoon nor the Los Coyotes Band have ancestral ties to the area. The Chemehuevis have ancestral ties.

Get the Story:
Barstow's down but not out (The San Bernardino Sun 6/30)
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