California to Get More Slots

On Tuesday, February 5th, voters in California approved Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97 which will mean a major increase in casino gambling as four of the state's richest gambling tribes won the right to add up to 17,000 new slot machines. The Morongo and Pechanga tribes, both near San Diego, can expand from 2,000 slots to 7,500. The other two tribes whose gambling compacts were on the ballot in the form of propositions, Agua Caliente and Sycuan, are near Palm Springs and can also increase from their current 2,000 slots to 5,000 apiece.

The passage will allow the tribes to build some of the world's largest casinos and boost efforts by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to use tribal gambling revenues to help curb the state deficit. The Governor said the propositions merely reaffirmed compacts he signed with the four tribes last year and the agreements could bring $500 million a year to the State.