Southern California’s desert casinos could get 20 percent of state’s slots

Monday, Aug. 14, 2000 | 1:56 a.m.

Since March when California voters approved Indian gaming expansion, every Coachella Valley tribe has announced plans to expand, add or develop casinos.

Augustine Band of the Cahuilla Mission Indians plans to open the EagleFlower Garden and Resort Casino by May 15, 2001, near Coachella. That brings the total number of operating and planned casinos in the valley to six.

EagleFlower would add approximately 700 slot machines to the Coachella Valley gambling marketplace. Including Casino Morongo in Cabazon, area gaming tribes expect 8,500 slots by the May 15, 2001, state deadline.

California's gaming compact allows each tribe 2,000 slot machines.

The number of Coachella Valley slots would increase further if federal legislation passes in the fall allowing the Torres-Martinez Band of Desert Cahuilla Indians to purchase land on Interstate 10 near Coachella for a casino and the tribe signs a compact for a slot allotment.

The Coachella Valley slot machine total would then be around 10,300.

There are no fears the gambling boom will reach the saturation point.

Census figures show there are nearly 3 million people within 50 miles of Casino Morongo and more than 17 million within 100 miles. Casinos at the east end of the Coachella Valley have about half a million people within 50 miles and about 8 million within 100 miles.

Other gaming markets near Los Angeles, San Diego and in Northern California are also experiencing rapid growth.

The state-tribe gaming compact limiting the number of slot machines in California is set forth in a complicated mathematical formula that is open to interpretation. Gov. Gray Davis' office said the state limit is 45,206 machines.

"It looks to me like it will surpass that lower limit," said I. Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier College in Costa Mesa who specializes in gaming law.

But Rose said it is unlikely tribal gaming operations will approach the highest interpretation of the slot machine limit, more than 100,000 slots. Tribes have been tightlipped about their interpretation of the limit.

"Among the tribes ... it has not been an issue of any consequence," said Jacob Coin, executive director of California Nations Indian Gaming Association. "Everything seems to be on course."

In contrast, Nevada has approximately 200,000 slot machines.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians will become the first California tribe with two casinos when they open a gambling hall in Rancho Mirage in the spring.

One of the Indian casino developers is Donald Trump, who has a management agreement with the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians to expand Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

"We are very high on the Palm Springs casino," said Trump, who added that he is considering deals with more American Indian casinos. "We like the area."