Editorial: Gaming standards for California tribes

Tuesday, April 29, 2008  

"California's gambling tribes compete furiously and disagree frequently about a wide range of issues. But they appear united when it comes to a belated attempt by the state's gambling regulators to impose minimum internal control standards. All tribes that are not bound by those rules currently – which is to say, the vast majority of tribes – oppose the effort.

The state has no choice but to pursue this authority aggressively on its own and to do it now. Billions of dollars are gambled at Indian casinos in California every year. Minimum standards for internal control are the basic security rules that ensure that the gambling public and the government aren't being cheated.

Without those controls California can never be sure that it is getting its fair share of the gambling revenues or that money isn't being skimmed or laundered. Without those controls, gamblers can't be sure that the cards aren't marked or the slot machines rigged.

The standards the state is seeking to impose cover virtually every aspect of security: how money from slot machines is transferred into cash boxes; who handles the boxes; who is allowed in counting rooms; how internal audits are conducted; how machines are calibrated; even how often card decks are changed between poker games."

Get the Story:
Editorial: State must set standards for Indian casino gambling (The Sacramento Bee 4/29)
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Related Story:
Gaming tribes brace for showdown (Copley News Service 4/28)