California tribal interests gathering this week at the 20th annual Western Indian Gaming Conference have the contentious subject of legalised online poker high on the agenda, according to local media reports.
Differences of opinion and self-interest among tribal groups has been one of the causes bedevilling the legalisation of online poker in California, an issue that has been proposed and debated without success for several years (see previous reports).
Other items up for discussion at the gathering include competition from card rooms and racetracks, finance and expansion, and demographic shifts.
Organised by the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, the conference has already attracted two of the region’s biggest tribal casino operators – the Morongo and San Manuel bands. Other tribal groups expected to attend or monitor proceedings are the Pechanga in Riverside County; Pala and Viejas in San Diego County; Cache Creek in Yolo County; and Thunder Valley in Placer County.