Agua Caliente Band's Proposition 70 fails

Wednesday, November 3, 2004  

California voters overwhelmingly rejected expansion of the state's growing gaming industry on Tuesday by rejecting two ballot initiatives.

Proposition 70, sponsored by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, failed with a whopping 76 percent of voters saying no. Only 24 agreed that tribes should be allowed to operate more than 2,000 slot machines while sharing 8.84 percent of net revenues.

Proposition 68, sponsored by non-Indian racetracks and card clubs, failed by an even larger margin. A whopping 83 percent rejected a bid to allow slot machines at these facilities.

The Prop. 70 campaign cost more than $105 million, the most in state history. Most tribes backed the initiative as an alternative to compacts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed with a handful of tribes.

Schwarzenegger fought against Prop. 70 and Prop. 68. He says his compacts, which allow more than 2,000 slot machines and a share of slot revenues, are better for the state.

Get the Story:
Casino measures turned into losers (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 11/3)
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Both gaming initiatives handed defeat by voters (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 11/3)
Both Indian gambling measures fail (The Sacramento Bee 11/3)
Props. 68 and 70 go down big -- voters like the governor's deals (The San Francisco Chronicle 11/3)
Voters reject gambling expansion, back stem cell research (AP 11/3)
Key Ballot Measures Go Governor's Way (The Los Angeles Times 11/3)
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