Maverick Gaming suing the state of Washington over tribal exclusivity

American regional casino operator Maverick Gaming has reportedly filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Washington in an attempt to overturn the jurisdiction’s current tribal monopoly on multiple types of games and sportsbetting.

According to a Tuesday report from The News Tribune newspaper, the lawsuit filed earlier this week in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia claims that the western state in inappropriately applying the tenets of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in allowing only its 29 federally-recognized tribes to operate sportsbooks as well as games of craps and roulette. This action purportedly comes some two months after the same court ruled against Florida’s attempt to premiere a regulated online sportsbetting service that was to be under the exclusive control of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Particular privilege:

Maverick Gaming is reportedly headquartered in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland and is responsible for 19 of Washington’s 44 licensed cardrooms. However, the firm is purportedly unable to bring craps, roulette and sportsbetting to its facilities in ‘The Evergreen State’ due to a range of Class III gaming compacts that give a monopoly on such entertainment to the tribes.

Investment intent:

Eric Persson serves as the Chief Executive Officer forAssociation reportedly told the newspaper that it is reviewing the lawsuit from Maverick Gaming but believes the action to be ‘dangerous and destructive’. This non-profit organization’s Executive Director, Rebecca George, purportedly pronounced that giving commercial operators the right to run retail sportsbetting in the western state would lead to ‘irreparable harm not only to historically marginalized tribal communities but also to a broader public that opposes a massive expansion of gambling in their neighborhoods and communities.’

George reportedly told The News Tribune…

“Maverick Gaming’s newly-announced federal lawsuit is a desperate attempt to overturn federal law, the will of the Washington State legislature, state and federal agency decisions and the clearly expressed sentiments of the general public in Washington. It would severely undermine the well-regulated and safe system of limited gaming that has been established in Washington over three decades of carefully negotiated compacts between the state of Washington and Native American tribes.”