"It's very easy to get frustrated by the seeming selfishness of legislators outside our area. Who are they to deny us an economic opportunity?

Step back from Barstow's own economic interest, though, and the problems become clearer. The phrase "reservation shopping" is going to be tossed around a lot in the coming months. Some officials and opponents are concerned these off-reservation casinos will set a precedent, and within years tribes will be moving around, jockeying for the most advantageous location.

Not that there's anything particularly wrong with this idea. It's a part of capitalism. But tribes aren't companies: They're sovereign nations, and they aren't subject to the same oversights most American businesses are. Barstow residents will be unable to actually sue these casinos for anything that happens there, though there will be a system of binding arbitration."

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EDITORIAL: Casinos' toughest fight still to come (The Desert Dispatch 9/12)