Are California’s Indian Casinos Cheating Players?

California is host to 55 Indian casinos, which are immensely popular, drawing both in- state and out- of- state visitors. They are packed with players on the weekends, and even on weekdays a spot in the casino parking lot is not to be taken for granted.

However, some allege that all is not well in the California Indian casino business. The casinos, they say, may be cheating customers- chances of winning in an Indian casino in this state, some complain, are not what they ought to be. While these claims have not been confirmed, many point out that it is impossible to prove that they are incorrect. The true odds of winning at California Indian casinos are, at present, a glaring unknown.

The problem with the casinos, experts allege, is a lack of regulation. In nearby Nevada, there is a powerful and well- funded gaming commission that regulates casinos with a hard hand. Every year, thousands of dollars in fines are levied for all sorts of infractions related to the fairness of slots, dice, and cards. The commission is responsible not only for the casinos, but also for regulation of every single airport or drugstore slot machine in the state. The Nevada Gaming Commission has earned a reputation as an institution to be feared; their power has both real and deterrent properties. It is widely known as one of the most efficient and forceful law enforcement bodies in the state.

The scene, however, is very different in California. Although there is a California Gambling Control Condition, the body is widely known for its incapacity to prosecute, or even find, casinos that consistently cheat players. The body cannot even, many scorn, keep track of the profits earned by state casinos. Although the figure of $6 billion per year is commonly cited, nobody knows how close this is to the actual revenues.

The ineptitude is not due to a narrow mandate. In theory, the commission is invested with the power to "control, collect and account for all license fees,” to make sure that casinos have not added more than their allowed number of machines, and to find and punish casinos that cheat players.

However, the agency has fewer than 50 employees. Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger included a provision to double the number in his budget request, he rescinded his appeal after opposition from legislators. It is widely known that these same legislators that so sharply opposed the governor’s bid to expand the regulatory commission receive generous contributions from the Indian casinos.

Even if the number of regulators on the commission were raised, the problem would persist because there are simply not enough firms equipped to check if machines are cheating. Many of those firms that are equipped are already employed by the casinos.

Until this problem is somehow remedied, players will not know what to expect when they visit Indian casinos in California.

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California is host to 55 Indian casinos, which are immensely popular, drawing both in- state and out- of- state visitors. They are packed with players on the weekends, and even on weekdays a spot in the casino parking lot is not to be taken for granted.

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