SACRAMENTO (AP) -- The Pala Band called a news conference to show off the long-awaited alternative to the disputed Indian slot machines that are at the heart of the Proposition 5 battle.
However, there was no machine Tuesday at the hotel where the news conference was held -- only a video of people trying out the prototype of the electronic gambling machines that will be allowed under the agreement the San Diego County tribe and 10 others signed with Gov. Pete Wilson this year.
The prototype will be tested at four Indian casinos in mid-October.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that California's state lottery law does not allow the video slot machines currently in use at about 40 Indian casinos.
The judge's decision, likely to be appealed, was a victory for Wilson and other state and federal officials who contend the slots are illegal.
Proposition 5, which is supported by 85 tribes, would allow the Indians to continue using the slot machines, which are a tremendous source of revenue for the tribes. If approved by voters, the measure is also likely to end up in the courts.
The Pala Band and the handful of other tribes opposing Proposition 5 are pushing the alternative machines as a legal -- and satisfying -- alternative to the video slots.
The Nov. 3 ballot measure is also opposed by the Nevada casino industry, which is afraid of losing business if Proposition 5 passes.
"These new machines are remarkable in that they are within the requirements of California law while being fast, fun and exciting," said Stan McGarr, tribal secretary for the Pala Band.
But outside the news conference, supporters of Proposition 5 ridiculed the new machines. "The Nevada casinos want to make people use machines that are more difficult to understand and less fun," spokesman Daniel Pellissier said.
The so-called Stars and Stripes machines looked pretty much like slot machines on the video: They make noises and have bright lights.
A player inserts some money and pushes a button to place a bet. A video screen spins and if three rows of stars or stripes line up, the player wins.
"In terms of the player experience, there's not much difference," said Bob Luciano of Sierra Design Group of Reno, who developed the software under contract with the Pala Band.
The big difference is that the new machine is programmed to work like a California Lottery game while a standard slot machine -- illegal under California state law -- is a stand-alone device that picks random numbers. Indians are allowed to offer only those forms of gambling that are permitted under state law.
The Stars and Stripes machines will allow a player to bet as little as 25 cents and win as much as $2,500. Eventually tribes will be able to adjust the wager amounts and prizes, a lawyer for the Pala Band said.
The four casinos that will each have Stars and Stripes machines beginning next month are Table Mountain Rancheria in Fresno County, Jackson Rancheria in Amador County, Rumsey Rancheria in Yolo County and Barona Casino in San Diego County.
Polls released a week ago showed Proposition 5 leading. A Los Angeles Times poll found it was ahead 57 percent to 28 percent while a San Francisco Examiner survey showed it leading 54 percent to 33 percent. Both polls had margins of error of 4 percentage points.