Strictly Country

A tiny, landless tribe is one step closer to putting a Nevada-style casino in a San Francisco suburb. The Lytton band of Pomo Indians still must win a federal lawsuit and negotiate a compact with Gov. Gray Davis, but if it clears those hurdles, it could soon be constructing a 2,000-slot-machine casino on 10 acres just off busy Interstate 80 in San Pablo.

Davis opposes expansion of Indian casino gambling into the state’s major urban areas. We urge him to hold firm in the San Pablo case. The more convenient gambling becomes, the easier it will be for compulsive gamblers to slip off and indulge their vice and for more casual players to be drawn in. These often are the people who can least afford to gamble. Another concern is the related risk that urban casinos will be more prone to such ancillary problems as corruption and prostitution.

Without reservation lands, the Lytton band normally could not run a casino. But last year Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) quietly passed an amendment permitting the band to take over a San Pablo card club--on the site in question--and use it as a casino. Last week, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried but failed to get the amendment repealed. He settled for compromise language that merely stipulates that the Lytton case will not constitute a precedent for other tribes without reservation land to improvise ways to cash in on gaming.

An aide to the governor says Davis “doesn’t want to see a big expansion of gambling, particularly in big urban areas.” Neither do we. The governor did veto a bill last week that would have aided access from U.S. 50 to a proposed $125-million Miwok casino about 35 miles east of Sacramento. But it’s unclear where he will draw the line.

Casinos have already invaded Palm Springs--an urban area, but apparently not a “big urban area.” And the Lyttons have the support of organized labor, a Davis ally that might try to persuade the governor to make an exception in this case.

The state needs a firm definition of where casino gambling is acceptable and where it is not. This sort of decision should not turn on executive whim, or a roll of the dice.