The latest raising of the ante comes in the wake of last week's state Supreme Court ruling to toss out Proposition 5, the state ballot initiative that passed with 63 percent of the vote last November and would have legalized gaming on Indian lands. The court ruled that the measure violates the state's constitutional ban on so-called Nevada-style gambling -- effectively reshuffling the deck and tossing the cards into the Legislature's lap, in preparation for yet another multimillion-dollar ballot showdown.

Gov. Gray Davis and legislative leaders are already preparing competing constitutional amendments -- which must be ratified by California voters -- that will allow gaming tribes to use the lucrative video slot machines that the court ruled illegal. "We're neither shocked nor surprised [by the court's ruling], but I can say we're very disappointed," said Mark Epstein, attorney for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. "We're considering our options ... but one way or another, the tribes will take their case back to the people."

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