Bet on it: After years of opposition, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is changing its tune and supporting the idea of an Indian casino at Richmond's Point Molate.
When the casino was first proposed, no voice was louder in opposition than that of Supervisor John Gioia. Now, however, he tells us there's an "aura of inevitability" to casinos moving into the area, and that the supes can either get on board and get some money, or risk being left out in the cold.
So under a negotiated agreement, the county would get $6 million a year if the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians runs electronic bingo, and as much as $22 million if the tribe installs a full Las Vegas-style casino.
Gioia may have a point about the inevitability of casinos. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's bill to kill Indian gaming in urban areas is going nowhere, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state's biggest opponent of Indian casinos, has only a year left in office.
Plus, the traffic and crime nightmare that critics predicted would accompany the opening of the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians' casino in neighboring San Pablo never materialized. In fact, the casino saved the little town from going bankrupt.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/08/BA0P1AGJFV.DTL#ixzz0WyNLjHQt
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