The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ hopes to assemble a $700 million on line casino in Vallejo, California have been dashed. The Department of Interior (DOI) has dominated that the tribe’s land doesn’t qualify for a gaming institution below the Gaming Regulatory Act.
The transfer reversed a earlier ruling from 2025. DOI officers stated the tribe lacked a major historic connection to the land to qualify below the Indian restored lands exception.
The tribe has vowed to proceed the struggle.
“The administrative record overwhelmingly supports the tribe’s gaming eligibility,” Scotts Valley Chairman Shawn Davis stated. “We will move quickly to challenge the decision in federal court.”
Vallejo, California, Loses Out On Tax Dollars
The ruling continues a decade-long authorized back-and-forth between the tribe and the DOI. The ruling forces the tribe to shut a short lived on line casino it arrange in July.
The order not solely prices the tribe, but additionally the town of Vallejo. The metropolis was expected to receive greater than $400,000 yearly in tax income from the momentary on line casino alone, in response to SFGate.com.
“We were hopeful this could be an economic benefit to the city,” Vallejo Vice Mayor Diosdado Matulac stated. “Scotts Valley tribe was willing to provide community benefits and support the city.”
Tribal Gaming Disagreements
The Scotts Valley Band confronted pushback from different tribes. The tribes argued that the deliberate on line casino violated federal regulation and tribal gaming rules. The difficulty is a part of a broader authorized battle amongst tribes. Some declare new on line casino properties would negatively influence their very own gaming operations.
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians owns the close by San Pablo Lytton Casino and backed the DOI transfer. In a letter to the Vallejo City Council, tribe Chairman Andy Mejia stated the Scotts Valley challenge would “inflict serious economic harm on nearby tribes, which operate successful gaming enterprises.”
Native American casinos in California generate $9 billion in income yearly. Tribal gaming can also be a serious a part of the general U.S. on line casino panorama, with properties situated in 10 states. These teams have expanded into different components of gaming and hospitality through the years, together with on-line gaming and sports activities betting.
For instance, Maine legalized on-line gaming in January by the state’s 4 federally acknowledged tribal teams. In California, tribes are looking for to ask voters to legalize sports activities betting in 2028.
