Casino San Pablo in California is the scene of controversy again. Originally, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had signed a compact with the tribes to allow 2500 class III slot machines, in exchange for 25% of the revenues being given over to the state, the county of Contra Costa, and the city of San Pablo. The legislature, however, may not ratify of the compact.

As a result, the casino hoped to implement class II bingo machines. The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians requested permission to put bingo machines in their San Pablo casino, since those do not require a compact. Additionally, the bingo machines would require the casino giving some revenues over to the city, but the state and county would not see any of the casino’s money.

Card room owners in the area complained. The bingo machines, they insisted, were just like ordinary slot machines. They have spinning reels, flashing lights, multiple play lines, everything that a class III slot machine has.

Attorney Howard Dickstein, the tribe’s attorney, said that if the bingo machines were indeed like regular slot machines, the tribes would not have invested so much effort for the sake of Class III machines, for which they would have offered the state 25% of earnings. Regular slot machines earn 5 to 10 times as much as the Class II bingo machines, and are more popular with players.

Democrats are trying to fight the bingo machines, and put a moratorium on new casinos in California. There has even been talk of closing the San Pablo casino.