More Slots in California

[Solomon]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who spent his first two years in office battling Indian tribes with casinos, is now giving them a vast expansion.

Under three Schwarzenegger compacts awaiting lawmakers' approval, Southern California would have up to 14,000 more authorized slot machines. The region could become home to some of the world's largest casinos, containing as many as 7,500 slot machines.

On Tuesday, the Republican governor authorized each of two tribes, the Pechanga band near Temecula and the San Manuel band on the outskirts of San Bernardino, to add 5,500 slot machines to the 2,000 they have now.

Then-Gov. Gray Davis limited individual tribes to two casinos and 2,000 slots -- large by Las Vegas standards. During the 2003 recall that ousted Davis, Schwarzenegger aired commercials blasting casino-owning tribes as special interests. He said they should pay their ``fair share'' to the state -- an amount he suggested would be 25 percent of their revenue.

The Department of Finance estimated the Pechanga and San Manuel deals could provide as much as $14.2 billion to the state through the life of the contracts, which end in 2030.