Schwarzenegger: I'll be back for my chips
2nd February, 2008
Hollywood hard-man turned California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is lobbying his electorate to approve a deal with four Native American casino operators.
Under Propositions 94-97, Indian-run casinos in southern California must commit to paying $9 billion (£4.5 billion) of tax revenue into the state's kitty over the next 22 years.
Following an intensive TV campaign, Schwarzenegger is now taking his message to the people - promising them that the casino gambling pay-off will fund essential state services and avert the need for tax hikes.
The gubernator says it translates into a good deal for both the state and the tribes, but critics say the agreement is contingent on the four main operators conducting large-scale expansions - something they have not yet committed to.
Defending that reservation, a spokesman for the Kumeyaay Nation tribe told the LA Times: "We have to go with the market … We're not going to go and just put in 3,000 machines and think it's going to work."
Opponents also note the amount is short of the projected $14.5 billion budget deficit the state is expecting to run up and that the deal would do little to help the 71 other tribes in the region who have few or no slot machines. 
