San Pasqual Band files $550M claim over slot machines

Tuesday, June 2, 2009  

The San Pasqual Band of Missions Indians filed a $550 million claim against the state of California in an ongoing slot machine dispute.

The tribe signed a Class III gaming compact in 1999. The agreement theoretically promises the tribe up to 2,000 slot machines but the California Gambling Control Commission has imposed a statewide cap that prevents the tribe from reaching the limit.

As a result, the tribe says it has lost out on hundreds of millions of dollars. "We are just asking for what was established to be ours according to the language of the 1999 compact," Chairman Allen Lawson said in a statement quoted by The North County Times.

The slot machine issue is the subject of ongoing litigation. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that tribes can proceed with their cases without the involvement of all the signatories to the 1999 compact.

Get the Story:
San Pasqual tribe files $550 million claim (The North County Times 6/2)
San Pasqual Tribe Files Claim Against State Over Slots (KGTV 6/1)
Tribe Files Claim Over Governor's Slot Machine Ruling (San Diego 6 News 6/1)