California tribes are at the center of a heated debate over off-reservation gaming amid Congressional efforts to restrict the practice.

A large number of the gaming applications being considered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs are in California due to the state's negative history. Many tribes were terminated and lost their reservation, prompting them to seek land elsewhere. Others were never properly recognized and want to establish a land base.

But some say tribes are looking for land to which they have no connections. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians say this practice will hurt the tribal casino industry and tribal sovereignty.

Smaller tribes who have yet to cash in on gaming disagree. "The rich tribes are all fighting us tooth and nail," a spokesperson for two tribes seeking an off-reservation casino told The Palm Springs Desert Sun.

The House and Senate are considering bills that would make it harder to acquire new land for gaming. But both measures face delays and considerable opposition, both by critics and supporters of Indian gaming.

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Many tribes not cashing in on gaming (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 8/2)