The federal lawsuit that Maverick Gaming filed last month seeks to overturn the state tribal gaming compacts between Washington and its gaming tribes that gives tribal casinos the exclusive rights to offer sports betting.
Maverick, which recently moved its headquarters from Nevada to Washington, operates 19 card rooms in the state. It has unsuccessfully sought to be able to offer sports betting in these small casinos.
The tribes argue that the lawsuit, if it succeeds, would harm historically marginalized tribal communities by attacking the revenue that supports services for them. The tribes issued a release that argues against the lawsuit.
“Maverick intends to massively expand non-tribal gambling in our neighborhoods and communities, even if that means subverting the federal law that established tribal gaming, overturning the will of a bipartisan supermajority of the legislature, nullifying regulatory decisions at multiple levels of government, and ignoring clear public opposition,” the release said.
“Maverick’s legal action comes after they have failed multiple times to convince the legislature to go along with their gambling expansion schemes. If successful, this lawsuit would cause irreparable harm to historically marginalized tribal communities and the general public. Our tribal gaming compacts have been repeatedly vetted by state and federal regulators. These compacts are fully aligned with the provisions of federal tribal gaming law, and Washington state’s tribes stand united in opposing any attempt like this to undermine tribal compacts and what the tribes have worked so hard to build.”
