Casino interests try to hit jackpot with governor

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Sunday, April 4, 2004 | Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

[nickcarraway]

During the recall campaign, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slammed his opponents for taking Indian gaming money -- but according to state filing reports, a new campaign committee set up to help cover the governor's living and travel expenses just took $21,200 from a company with ties to a number of California Indian casinos.

[nickcarraway]

ping

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[calcowgirl]

According to state records, the little-known Vista Holdings LLC cut a check to the "Californians for Schwarzenegger -- 2006" campaign committee for $21,200 on Feb. 4 of this year.

Vista Holdings, it turns out, is a subsidiary of Station Casinos, a Las Vegas gaming and entertainment company that has teamed up to help open and run:

-- The Thunder Valley Indian Casino in Placer County, with the United Auburn Indian Community.

-- A planned casino in Rohnert Park, in partnership with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

-- A planned casino in Chico, in conjunction with the Mechoopda Indian Tribe.

-- A planned casino in Madera, in partnership with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, in a deal announced just last month.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Ping

[Carry_Okie]

If there was a single ballot proposition I regret more than any other it is the one that brought us the lottery and introduced organized gambling interests into California.

Gambling teaches a horrible lesson: that financial success in life is a matter of mere chance. The California in which I grew up never had need of risk takers.

[calcowgirl]

The card clubs, racetracks, and lottery combined are nothing compared to what we are going to see with "Indian" gaming. I posted an article (a year old) HERE that describes how Las Vegas interests and powerhouses are teaming with the tribes in developing and managing new casinos.

Station Casino's efforts above are just one of many working to inundate the state with "Indian" gambling casinos. And now, to solve our SPENDING deficit, Arnold is negotiating with the tribes to pay "their fair share" in exchange for raising limits on the number of slot machines. There has been talk of compacts lasting as long as 99 years. When they're done, California isn't going to look much different than Las Vegas. It may however be ridden with even more crime and corruption as the state is not equipped to regulate the business to even half the extent that Nevada does.

[Carry_Okie]

Funny, Arnold doesn't LOOK like old man Potter?

[calcowgirl]

I think they're just old friends (and business partners). LOL.