Indian Tribes And AG’s Office Join Sides

The Indian tribes in the United States have long been considered THE leading casino operators in the country. That does not mean that state authorities cannot have a say in their regulations, however. Such is the case in California, where a longstanding “battle” between the tribes and the state has been going on. Recently, however, an unexpected turn in the negotiations came about. Sign On San Diego has this report:

When representatives of about 50 Indian tribes gathered with state regulators recently, everyone in the room knew that nearly all of the tribes were about to vote against a set of casino security standards sought by the state.

The surprise came when Attorney General Jerry Brown’s emissary stood with the powerful gaming bands and also put up a vote against the standards drafted by the attorney general’s regulatory partner, the California Gambling Control Commission.

The commission, a panel appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, had negotiated the proposed regulations over the past 18 months in consultation with the attorney general’s office.

So what does this mean? I suppose it is good news for the casino operators – and not so good news for the state authorities. For those who are not so aware of what has been going on, since 1999, the state has been trying to impose regulations that would maintain the integrity of the casino games. This is not to say that there is no integrity with the current casino system. In any case, this does not have any bearing on whether or not we can continue to enjoy the table games at the Californian Indian casinos.