Abstract
California has been an intense battleground between Indian nations seeking to exercise their sovereign right to operate gaming establishments and state and federal government forces often intent on hindering their ability to do so. With over one hundred federally recognized Indian nations located within its borders-almost one-third of all such nations in the contiguous forty-eight states-California's experience has been critical in shaping the national debate over Indian gaming. Further, the ability of such a large and diverse set of tribes to work together on a number of important issues has been critical in strengthening tribal sovereignty.