California’s Slot Machines Compacts

Many of the states have recently begun to renegotiate tribal compacts and the number of slot machines the tribes are allowed to operate. Washington State recently approved a compact allowing unprecedented numbers of slot machines to enter the state through the Spokane tribe…and many predict Washington will be altering the rest of the tribal compacts in the coming months. California is also one of the states in the midst of altering the tribal compacts, but instead of just the tribes trying to push through the new compacts and increased slot machines, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already agreed to new terms for the compacts, and it is up to the legislature to decide whether or not the new compacts get signed.

In the fall legislative session, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a number of the new compacts, and then, right at the end of the session he attempted to push the compacts through the legislature. The legislature though was not pleased at the Governor’s actions and claimed that they would not approve the new compacts and increase in slot machines because they were not given an appropriate amount of time to look over the new proposed compacts.

But some are wondering why the Governor is so eager to push these revised tribal compacts through. Some speculation has centered on last November’s mid-term election—they argue that approving the additional slot machines and compacts was merely a way for Schwarzenegger to buy the tribal votes and the additional campaign contributions.

Now though it seems that the Governor has less to worry about this legislative session as he has a couple of powerful allies in the Senate who also back the Governor’s tribal compacts and slot machines, and you can be sure that they will be speaking persuasively to pass approval on the compacts. If the new compacts are passed, the increase in slot machines in the state, and the terms of the compacts means that the state of California will have hundreds of millions more dollars each year.
 

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