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California Voters Inundated with Gambling Ads

SACRAMENTO, California – As reported by the LA Times: "Voters who flip on their televisions over the next 2 1/2 weeks are almost certain to see a deluge of campaign ads about gambling, even though card rooms and horse tracks have stopped spending money on Proposition 68, one of two casino-related initiatives on the ballot.

"The campaign for the other gambling initiative, Proposition 70, is very much alive. Its backers, including tribes with casinos, expect to spend $15 million by election day, while opponents led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could spend $5 million to oppose the proposition.

"In ads that are scheduled to start airing statewide today, Schwarzenegger criticizes backers of Propositions 70 and 68 as 'special interests looking for special treatment.' Both measures, he says in the ad, would lead to massive expansion of casinos.

"…The dueling advertising campaigns revolve around a central question: How much is a 'fair share' to be paid to the state?

"The main backers of Proposition 70 — the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which owns casinos in and near Palm Springs, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which owns a casino near San Bernardino — argue that a fair share is 8.84% of net revenue, the rate that casino-owning tribes would pay under their ballot measure.

"Schwarzenegger inserted the term 'fair share' into the political lexicon during last year's recall campaign. In his view, a fair share is closer to 25% of the tribes' gross revenue.

"…The Agua Caliente and San Manuel bands have poured a combined $22.5 million into the campaign. Over the weekend, another tribe from the Palm Springs area, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, anted up $3.5 million…"

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