I remember that California used to only have card rooms, with lots of restrictions on the type of gambling that was permitted. It was stated that Hard Rock Tejon has 2,000-plus slots and 58 table games, including VIP rooms for blackjack and baccarat. When did California change its gambling rules to allow the full casino experience (only on Indian land, I assume)?
It was tough to find an expert on California tribal gaming, but with a lot of help from Chris Faria, editor of Tribal Gaming & Hospitality magazine, we were able to piece together the following answer.
The story goes back to March 2000, when voters in the Golden State approved Proposition 1A. It permitted Native American tribes to conduct Class III gambling. That meant slot machines, banked card games (such as blackjack), and percentage games, provided that a state-tribal compact had been negotiated and approved.
Says Faria, “The framework operates under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which affirms tribal sovereignty and sets rules for how gaming revenues are used. Net revenue from California tribal casinos must support tribal government operations, healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure, economic development and the general welfare of tribal members. Many tribes also contribute significantly to surrounding non-Native communities through employment, vendor partnerships, philanthropy, and revenue-sharing agreements.”
Incidentally, many California card rooms have been offering blackjack and similar house games, under the guise of having a third-party “banker.” This has irritated the tribes no end. But it looks like it'll be coming to an end. State Attorney General Rob Bonta has informed the card rooms that it’s no-go for blackjack, ending May 31.
The card rooms are crying foul. They say blackjack is the majority of their business model. They also plead hardship on behalf of the towns and cities that host them. Some of those municipalities rely on card rooms for the bulk of their tax revenue.
Back at the Native casinos, all the big ones -- Pechanga, Barona, Morongo, Sycuan, Yaamava, Tachi Palace, and many others -- offer plenty of table games. Pechanga, for example, has one of the largest table-game offerings in California with over 150 tables. These include blackjack (in multiple variants: double deck, shoe, continuous shuffle), baccarat (mini and standard), craps and card craps, roulette, pai gow poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Buster Blackjack, Spanish 21, etc. They're all allowable per the compact.
But the California tribal-casino experience isn't a complete replication of Las Vegas, at least not yet. Faria reminds us that unlike California, Nevada has statewide legal retail and mobile sports betting. It also offers “broader regulatory flexibility across game types.”
The card rooms can’t offer those amenities either. As Faria concludes, “California’s casino-style gaming remains tribal and compact-based and sports betting has not yet been legalized statewide.”
Sports betting might not be legalized for some time to come.
The tribes can't seem to get together on sports betting, whether to have it and if so how. Neither can the voters. Both private-sector and Native American sports betting got voted down overwhelmingly several years ago. Few entities or individuals have been willing to hoe that row again, at least not for the present.
Tomorrow: The lure of Vegas versus that of tribal casinos
