Morongo Chairman: California Tribal Business Alliance is WRONG on Internet Poker.

Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin say that the California Tribal Business Alliance is making up their own facts: CTBA wrongly contends that legalizing online poker in California would violate the tribal gambling compacts the state already has with California tribes. Morongo attorney George Forman, who has been involved in tribal issues for the last 40 years, clearly rebutted that contention at the Legislature's Feb. 9 informational hearing on Internet poker. Forman explained that the Legislature can allow Californians to play poker on their home computer or laptops without violating the state's guarantee that tribes have the exclusive right to operate slot machines. Forman's explanation matches that of a 2008 Legislative Counsel opinion. The CTBA did not offer a contrary legal opinion to rebut the explanation provided by Forman and the Legislative Counsel, most likely because nothing in either the compacts or the law supports CTBA's argument. SACBEE Editorial In a previous editorial, CTBA chairwoman Leslie Lohse made the case that the tribes' compact allowed them to dictate USE OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL computer. Did YOU vote to give them that right? See that editorial HERE What is in play here, readers is that the CTBA doesn't want individual tribes to benefit. Morongo is NOT a member of the CTBA anymore. Wonder why? But, more importantly, it shows WHY we need gaming in this state outside of Indian Casinos.