Maverick Gaming loses lawsuit challenging Washington’s tribal sports betting rules
Card room operator was seeking to overturn state’s tribal monopoly on retail sports wagering
A federal judge officially dismissed a lawsuit brought by Maverick Gaming challenging the tribal monopoly on sports betting in Washington State.
US District Judge David Estudillo ruled against Maverick Gaming, which had originally filed suit in March 2022 on the grounds that it had been unconstitutionally boxed out of Washington’s retail-only sports betting market.
The card room operator’s grievance stemmed from a tribal-only sports betting bill passed in 2020 that granted Washington’s 29 tribal casinos exclusive access to retail wagering operations.
After initially suing Washington State and the federal government, Maverick sought to have the case moved to federal court in March 2022 so it could drop the state suit and challenge the US Department of the Interior for approving the tribal compact amendments that ultimately paved the way for the current tribal sports betting monopoly in Washington.
Maverick contended the Interior Department had violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection clause by approving the amended compact.
In October 2022, after the case became federal, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe – which is based in Western Washington and was not initially a defendant – filed a motion for the case to be dismissed after intervening as a defendant for that purpose.
In its motion, which was supported by the Attorney General’s Office, the federal government and 17 tribes as amici curiae, Shoalwater Bay contended that Maverick’s lawsuit threatened its tribal sovereignty. Judge Estudillo concurred.
“As the Tribes note, such relief threatens not only tribal revenue and contracts, but also tribal and non-tribal employment and other businesses which Shoalwater asserts is a matter of sovereign authority,” Estudillo wrote as part of a 16-page judgment.
As a result, Maverick will remain prohibited from offering sports betting at its 22 card rooms, 19 of which it acquired in 2019 in anticipation of legalized sports betting in Washington.
Maverick CEO Eric Persson has expressed his intent to appeal the decision.