Page 6 - March 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

March 2008 Gaming News
COalifornia Voters Pass Propositions 94–97
n February 5th, California voters approved Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97, the State’s new gaming compacts with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Banning, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño
Mission Indians in Temecula and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in El Cajon.
general fund. And Proposition 96 authorizes the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation to operate an additional 3,000 slot machines in exchange for a $20 million annual payment to the State.
e new measures also call for the tribes to pay for any environmental impacts on the surrounding community that could result as a direct result of an expansion.
Opposition groups to the compacts and the four tribes advocating the ballot measures spent more than $150 million on the referendum—the most expensive ballot campaign in state history.
As reported in Indian Country, a study conducted by Alan Meister, Ph.D., an economist with Analysis Group Inc., focused on the potential economic and scal bene ts of the ballot measures. According to his study, $116 billion in economic output would occur, along with $44.5 billion in wages created, and the potential for the creation of nearly 900,000 new jobs. Meister’s report also found that California’s tribal gaming industry has grown into one of the largest in the world. It generated nearly $8 billion in 2006, and those numbers are expected to grow as casinos expand under the new compacts.
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Players using scared money can be a ected much more emotionally because they know that the money is needed for other living expenses. If they begin to lose, they may become irrational and start to “chase their losses” by betting larger sums in hopes of making it all back with one big score. When a player puts himself in a situation where he has to win a bet just to break even, he usually doesn’t win, and this can often lead to bigger losses. If you start thinking about what you could have bought with the money you are betting or what you need the winnings for, it is no longer entertainment. Gambling should never be looked upon as a means to solve your nancial problems.
is can only compound your economic problems and possibly lead to other problems in your personal life.
March 9th–16th is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week. Ninety-seven percent of all casino players will never have a problem with gambling, but it is a good time for everyone to stop and assess their gambling habits. As long as you remember to keep to your budget, your casino visits should be a lot of fun, and that is what you want your entertainment to be.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes... Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton is the Casino Gambling Guide and columnist for the Internet portal About.com, located at http://casinogambling.about.com. He is the author of 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets and Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available online at www.billburton.com. He is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps, http://www.thecrapsclub.com.
e measures that will allow the four tribes to add a combined total of 17,000 slot machines to their existing gaming operations passed at around a 56% yes by voters.
With the passage of the compacts, the four tribes are free to add additional Las Vegas-style slot machines to their casinos. Roger Salazar, spokesman for the four tribes, said that per terms of the compacts, the four tribes are required to pay $130 million each year to California’s General Fund.
“ ese compacts will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars per year to the state in funds for education, health care and public safety,” Governor Schwarzenegger said.
e promise of additional revenue for California will help ease the burden of a projected $16 billion budget de cit. Reports estimate that the gaming propositions could result in $9 billion for the State’s General Fund over the next 22 years.
e new compacts had already been voted on by the California Legislature, and in July 2007 had been rati ed by both the State Senate and House and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. ey would not have required voter approval, but a coalition of
two other California gaming tribes, a race track owner, and a casino-workers’ union gathered nearly a million signatures to force referendums on the compacts onto the February 5th, 2008 ballot.
“ is campaign was never about Indian gaming in general,” Scott Macdonald, a spokesman for the opposing organizations, said in a concession statement on February 6th. He said the vote showed that Californians “were willing to waive their concerns” about the expansion of gambling because of a greater concern about the economy.
Under Proposition 97, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians will be permitted to more than double its current number of Las Vegas-style slot machines, from 2,000 to 5,000. And the Tribe will make an estimated $23.4 million annual payment to the State. Proposition 94 allows the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians to operate 5,500 additional slot machines in exchange for a $42.5 million payment to the State. Proposition 95 permits the Morongo Band of Mission Indians to add 5,500 slot machines, while requiring a $36.7 million payment to the State’s
Bill Burton: About Gambling
asinos are in the entertainment business, and like other forms of entertainment, we expect to pay a price for admission. Unlike a movie or theme park, the price of entertainment in the casinoisnota xedexpense.Youcanspendalittleoryoucanspendalot.Insomeinstances,
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
March 2008
or Entertainment Purposes Only
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you may even have a chance of being paid for your entertainment if you win. However, the reality is that most players lose when they visit the casino.
Casinos have a house edge on all games except for certain video poker games, card counting in blackjack and live poker. We refer to casino games as having a negative expectation. is means that over the long run the mathematics of the game will grind away at your bankroll. e built-in house advantage is how casinos make money. It is the price we pay to play the games, and casinos are entitled to charge it for supplying gaming tables, dealers and slot machines.
Know How Much You Can Spend
Although gambling does not have a xed ticket price, this does not mean that you should go to the casino without setting your own limits on how much you will spend. When you go to a movie or out to dinner you know approximately how much it will cost and you budget for it.
If you planned on spending $20 to see a movie and got to the movie theater and was told the price of the ticket was $200, you would be outraged. Would you just go to the atm and withdraw the extra money needed to pay for the ticket? My guess is probably not,
especially if you didn’t have the extra money to spend. Going to the casino should not be di erent.
When you visit the casino, you should budget a set amount to gamble with and stick to that amount, win lose or draw. You should also budget separate money for your other activities if you plan to see a show or dine at the casino. By doing this, you know how much you’ll be spending for your entertainment. e amount that you budget should never be more than you can a ord to lose. If you need this money for something else, don’t take it to gamble with. is has always been my number one rule of gambling.
Don’t Play With Scared Money
Scared money is a term used to describe money that you are terri ed of losing. is is money that you either have borrowed or need for rent, the house payment, food or other daily expenses. If you run out of money at the casino and go to the atm for more or take an advance on your credit card, you are essentially playing with borrowed money because you have exceeded your planned entertainment budget.
About Gambling with Bill Burton Gaming News