Lawmakers in California have blocked gaming compacts for two of the state's largest tribes.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed the compacts with the Yurok Tribe and the Quechan Nation in June. They require the tribes to share up to 25 percent of slot revenues and force them to make concessions that other tribes say are unfair [More Info].

Tribes that already operate casinos lobbied lawmakers to oppose the deals. Some Republicans said the compacts contained harmful labor, jurisdiction and other provisions.

Yurok and Quechan leaders blasted the other tribes for blocking the compacts. "To oppose us, without a good reason, that's a cowardly act," Quechan President Mike Jackson Sr. told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

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Inland tribes flex muscle, blocking state gaming compacts (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 9/9)
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Big tribes block pending deals for new casinos (The San Diego Union-Tribune 9/9)