Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a bill that would allow California’s casino-owning tribes to sue their business competitors, concluding one of the most expensive political fights of the legislative session.
With Newsom’s signature on Senate Bill 549, tribes now have the ability to ask a judge to decide their longstanding claim that the state’s card rooms are illegally offering card games such as black jack and pai gow poker.
The stakes are high since some cities receive nearly half of their budgets from taxes on cardrooms, meaning a tribal victory in court could jeopardize money for police, firefighters and other local services.
