New slots and familiar problems
By: The Californian - | ∞
Our view: Casino deals must provide funds for human fallout of gambling expansion
Among the unfortunate aspects of Gov. Schwarzenegger's budget is its reliance on a vast expansion of tribal casino gambling to reinforce the state's revenues.
There's nothing wrong with consenting adults enjoying a game of chance, but counting on a jackpot is no substitute for fiscal discipline, especially when the growth of California's Indian reservation gambling industry has far outpaced the state's ability to plan and pay for its effects.
With the state's highest concentration of tribal casinos, Riverside and San Diego counties have felt that impact, for better and for worse, more than most. The infusion of cash into the area's reservations is certainly better for the lives and lifestyles of our region's original residents, and tribes in turn have reinvested in their surrounding communities. But better still would be levels of investment that reflect the transformative effect the casinos have had on the back country.
Last month, for instance, the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueno Mission Indians opened San Diego County's newest casino, a relatively small operation overlooking Lake Henshaw, some 30 miles southeast of Temecula. The tribe was supposed to make improvements to Highway 79 South before the casino doors opened, but those improvements aren't scheduled to be done before June.
As part of the 2003 compact it signed with then-Gov. Gray Davis, the Santa Ysabel band agreed to pay San Diego County to offset its casino's impacts. That resulted in the small tribe anteing up some $320,000 per year for law enforcement-related costs, plus $300,000 to pay for problem gambling treatment and prevention.
This last contribution is especially important; as the state's casinos have expanded, so has the number of Californians whose gambling addiction makes their lives miserable. A statewide survey released in February revealed that our region is home to the highest concentration of these unfortunate souls, gambling more and more with less and less money.
That's a mere drop in the bucket of what California needs. Tribes are picking up the entire $3 million annual budget for the state's Office of Problem and Pathological Gambling -- which works out to about $3 each for the state's estimated 1 million problem gamblers. The tribes and the state aren't paying enough to help those whose fortunes suffer the most when new opportunities arise to gamble their savings away.
When tribes renegotiate their compacts with the state, such contributions must be written into the new deals. That seems to be the case with the five new compacts that Gov. Schwarzenegger renegotiated with tribes with much bigger gambling operations, including the Pechanga of Temecula and Morongo of Cabazon.
More important to the governor, the renegotiated deals also promise to pay the state a larger cut of gambling revenues, up to 25 percent from some slots.
Schwarzenegger, who once railed against these "special interests" controlling the Capitol, now needs them to balance his budget. But that was an easy bet. Tougher to call is whether the renegotiated compacts, approved by the state Senate a month ago, will survive the Assembly.
Democratic legislators are objecting to the state's lack of regulatory control after a 2006 federal appeals court ruling threw out federal oversight of reservation gambling. This is no small expansion: The new compacts would add 22,500 slot machines to the big five casinos -- three of which are in Riverside County -- enough to fill about 10 Las Vegas-sized halls. The Pechanga Band would gain permission to add 5,500 slots to its current allotment of 2,000.
Still, most of the casino gambling horses have already left the barn. The payments tribes are being asked to make reflect only the impact of new additions to California's casinos -- not the dramatic expansion that has already happened in the last five years.
While we applaud our tribal neighbors for the good deals they have squeezed out of the state, we must insist that any new compacts reflect the real impacts of casino gambling -- past, present and future.
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Bob P wrote on May 24, 2007 11:24 AM:Californian editor... the argument from their side would cite your slippery-slope theory, as well as an argument as to where should we draw the line... Casinos are inherently evil, and will require more than just funds to fix gambling problems. In addition, we'll need more money going to Anti-gang task forces, Anti-drug task forces, and many more officers patrolling our streets. A story just a short time ago told of a couple being followed home and robbed after winning a jack-pot at Pechanga. Do your research; public record shows deputy contacts at Pechanga daily. You might be suprised at what goes on there. Casinos breed crime, and are a hub for many bad people from outside the area. With such a large employer, they're also bringing in many people from outside the area that have been living in the casino lifestyle for years, which isn't exactly kosher. The Temecula slogan talks about old traditions, and new opportunities. The old traditions are now long gone, and all of the opportunity relies on a sovereign nation and its business practices.
Zach wrote on May 24, 2007 5:01 PM:Arguments opposing and reinforcing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have been exhausted with little to no shifts in public perception. While it is noble to attempt to rescue every academically failed child in America it is also very naïve and requires an extreme lack of knowledge to support. The idea of equality is engraved into people in nearly every aspect of society. For example, at my high school the announcements ends every morning with the statement “failure is not an option.” This unattainable philosophy works well in a perfectly ideal world but, unfortunately, not in this one. The simple fact is that some students excel in school and some don’t. Government policies can ultimately do little to override a student’s study habits and mindset. Student achievement can be expressed in a near perfect bell curve that has remained consistent for years. Also, just because a student does not “succeed” in the academic arena doesn’t ensure their failure in society. There are countless occupation that are vital to a healthy civilization and that are just as important as any other. The government officials are either remarkably stupid or are merely constructing a façade of equality to enhance their public appearance. Zach 17
foursquare wrote on Jun 11, 2007 11:25 PM:A few years ago, the Sheriff of Riverside County reported the Pechanga Resort and Casino has no more crime than a Target store. Of course, casinos serve as a convenient bull’s-eye for a criminal. But, please, dear reader, consider that this casino employs a security force larger than the City of Temecula. The casino also has surveillance cameras all over the inside and the outside of the facility, recording and watching for suspicious behavior. Naturally, any facility catering to the public will produce some crime, yet a member of the public will likely enjoy more safety while at this casino than any other place. As to individuals who may suffer from over-gambling, please, dear reader, consider that off-reservation outlets also offer gambling activity: (1) horse racing tracks; (2) card rooms; (3) church bingo parlors; (4) off-track betting rooms; (5) and the state lottery. Out of fairness, these gambling activities should also contribute to any program to help individuals who over-gamble. Finally, any useful study of over-gambling in California must account for the increase due to more gamblers staying in the state to gamble in tribal casinos, instead of going to Las Vegas. This shift in gambling has an upside, too, because the gaming and tourism dollars that once went to Las Vegas now remain here in the Golden State. In turn, tribal casinos produce thousands of jobs in the state. Tribal casinos function as economic engines in their communities, producing thousands of jobs, while creating economic benefit all around.
Bob P wrote on Jul 5, 2007 8:09 PM:"foursquare"... a few years ago, Pechanga was just a tent. Your information is, therefore, irrelevant. In the future, please cite your sources, dear reader. A security force "larger than the City of Temecula"? Absurd on all levels. They are not police, and once again, you cite no source. I agree, "any facility catering to the public will produce some crime..." however, I have yet to see any other business in Temecula bring in quite an apparent flood of men and women 21 and over that binge on alcohol and gamble. "...[I]ndividuals who may suffer from over-gambling" don't attend the other "outlets" that you refer to in Temecula, because Temecula doesn't have them outside of the casinos, (unless there is a church gambling ring that I'm not aware of). Buying a lotto ticket at the grocery store is a bit different than sitting at a table or machine to gamble while consuming alcohol. Though possible, it's highly unlikely that someone would mortgage their home to play the California Lotto. Your final comment regarding the increase of addicts due to the increase of tribal casinos was a no-brainer! That was the point! If the casinos were still out of state, we would have less addicts locally.
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