In a major win for tribal sovereignty and for safe and well-regulated gaming, the United States Supreme Court Monday declined to hear Maverick Gaming v. United States and State of Washington, leaving intact the Ninth Circuit’s unanimous decision upholding Washington’s state-tribal gaming framework under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
“Today’s ruling is a decisive win not just for Washington’s tribes, but for tribal sovereignty and sound gaming regulation nationwide,” said Rebecca George, executive director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA), in a news release. “Washington’s tribes have shown that legal, transparent and regulated gaming works. This decision confirms that IGRA’s balance between tribes and states remains the law of the land.”
The Shoalwater Bay Tribe had intervened in the litigation to defend the law that helped secure this national precedent.
“Maverick’s suit threatened Shoalwater’s bargained-for gaming compacts, its economic welfare, and its ability to fund critical government functions. We and other tribes in Washington were the real parties in interest in this case, and the courts rightfully refused to allow Maverick to challenge our rights in our absence,” said Shoalwater Bay Tribe Chairman Quintin Swanson in a statement via the Native American Right Fund.
“The Supreme Court has once again rejected a meritless suit that sought to attack the very heart of tribal rights. At the Native American Rights Fund, we stand ready to defend against these attacks wherever they are filed,” said Native American Right Fund staff attorney Lenny Powell.
Even as the Supreme Court closes this legal chapter, Maverick’s financial troubles continue. Its parent company, RunItOneTime LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas (Case No.25-33109, Judge Alfredo R. Perez). Public filings show that a company tied to Maverick’s leadership was the winning bidder for three of the gaming assets placed into bankruptcy.
“A bankrupt operator tried to rewrite federal law and is now maneuvering to repurchase the very assets it surrendered,” George said. “This self-serving maneuver underscores why Congress entrusted gaming to sovereign tribes and accountable state regulators, where integrity, auditing, and public benefit come first.”
“The difference in mission could not be clearer,” George added. “Tribal and state-regulated gaming revenues go to fund government programs – from healthcare and education to housing, infrastructure and environmental restoration. In contrast, private and speculative operations direct profits to individuals and out of state (or country) investors. These laws were written to make sure gaming serves the public good, not private greed.”
Washington’s gaming remains stable, audited and publicly beneficial – generating more than $7.4 billion in annual economic activity from tribal governments in Washington.
“WIGA is committed to ensuring safe, well-regulated gaming. We’ll fight to protect Indian gaming and keep unsavory characters out of gaming, just as IGRA intended,” George added.
The Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA) is a non-profit Indian gaming trade association representing federally recognized tribes in the state of Washington committed to advancing the lives of Indian peoples – economically, socially and politically.
Tribal governments in Washington rely on gaming revenue for essential government services allowing for self-sufficiency. Unlike commercial gaming, tribal government gaming pays for critical housing, healthcare, education, natural resources and jobs for our communities, benefiting tribal and non-tribal communities alike.
