21, the state and tribe agreed the regulatory role would permanently shift to the NIGC and the tribe would no longer need to reimburse California for regulatory costs, a spokesperson for Gov. With California and the tribe unable to reach agreement in the years since, Mazzeti said Rincon entered into an interim arrangement known as a secretarial procedure that allowed it to operate its casino under federal approval instead of state approval. Supreme Court, which let stand a lower court ruling that California violated federal tribal gaming law by demanding casinos make payments into the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund in exchange for the ability to add more slot machines. In 2011, the lawsuit advanced to the U.S. Arnold Schwarzenegger claiming that his negotiations with tribes were unconstitutional and unfair. Then, in 2004 - the same year Rincon opened its casino, Harrah’s Resort Southern California near Valley Center - the tribe filed a lawsuit against then-Gov.
