Maverick Gaming, a company specializing in gaming and entertainment, is taking legal action against Washington State, alleging that they are unjustly applying the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to grant tribal casinos exclusive rights to gambling activities, including sports wagering.
The legal complaint asserts that the state is violating the law by permitting tribes to offer sports betting while prohibiting non-tribal gambling establishments, such as card rooms, from doing so.
In 2020, Washington’s governor signed legislation that legalized sports betting at tribal casinos. Subsequently, nine of these casinos were authorized to provide sports betting services.
However, non-tribal casinos were excluded from this opportunity. They are restricted to offering card games with a limited number of tables.
Maverick Gaming contends that this arrangement is unfair and that the state is misinterpreting the IGRA.
The Evergreen State presently boasts forty-four authorized card rooms, nineteen of which are managed by Maverick.
Maverick Gaming is contesting this practice, having engaged a legal team that includes Theodore Olson, who effectively represented New Jersey in a 2018 case that overturned the Wire Act and permitted states to establish legal, regulated, and taxed sports wagering markets.
Olson stated, “The objective of IGRA was to guarantee fair competition between tribal and non-tribal gaming, but unfortunately, Washington state is misusing IGRA, instead generating a tribal monopoly on specific types of gaming, such as sports betting.”
“Contrary to the wording of IGRA itself, the legislation is being utilized to protect Washington state tribes from competition from legal gaming markets in numerous other states.”
Maverick co-founder and chief executive officer Eric Persson added, “We support and respect tribal equality and autonomy. Our decision to initiate legal action is based on the same values we hold dear in all of Maverick Gaming’s endeavors.
“We are proud of our union-led workforce in Washington state, who provide family-wage positions with benefits and pensions, assisting in the creation of economic opportunity in communities throughout my home state.”
The equal distribution of financial prospects hinges on the unbiased execution of legislation, such as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It is hoped that this legal action will be successful, enabling tribal casinos and smaller commercial card rooms, like those operated by Maverick Gaming, to provide the same types of legal wagering, such as sports betting, that commercial card rooms and tribal casinos already offer in other regions.
Rebecca George, the head of the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA), condemned the challenge in response to the lawsuit, labeling it a “desperate attempt” that could be “harmful and disruptive” to the state.
“Maverick Gaming’s recently announced federal legal action is a desperate attempt to overturn federal law, the desire of the Washington State Legislature, rulings of state and federal agencies, and the clearly expressed opinions of the Washington State public,” George stated.
“This would seriously weaken the well-regulated and secure system of limited gaming that has been carefully negotiated and established in Washington State over the past three decades between the State of Washington and Native American tribes.
“These agreements are fully in line with the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and state law and have been repeatedly examined at multiple regulatory levels.”
Essentially, this harmful and damaging legal action lacks foundation. If it somehow prevails, it will not only inflict irreversible harm on historically disadvantaged tribal groups, but also on the broader public who oppose the extensive growth of gambling in their communities and neighborhoods.
“We will be examining their claim more thoroughly, but Washington State tribes stand together in rejecting any effort to weaken IGRA, tribal agreements, and all that tribes have diligently built.”
Sign up for the iGaming newsletter.
