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State of Play’s TL;DR
- A temporary tribal casino in Central California was open only a week.
- The Interior Department ruled that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians lacked the needed credentials to be granted a gaming license.
A temporary preview casino opened by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Vallejo, CA, lasted just seven days before a federal reversal forced it to shut down.
The dispute now turns on whether the tribe can prove the site qualifies for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s restored lands exception.
The tribal casino project that had appeared to clear a major federal hurdle is now headed for court. The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians opened an invitation-only preview casino in Vallejo on July 25, but the operation was closed by Aug. 1 after the US Department of the Interior reversed its earlier approval of the broader $700 million resort plan.
Interior says Vallejo site does not qualify for gaming
According to the Interior Department, the Vallejo parcel does not meet the legal standard required for gaming on restored lands. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs William H. Kirkland III wrote:
“Consequently, the Vallejo parcel does not qualify as restored lands within the meaning of applicable law, and the band may not conduct gaming on the parcel pursuant to (the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s) restored lands exception.”
The federal government had initially approved the site for gaming at the beginning of 2025. The proposed development covered 160 acres near Interstate 80 and Columbus Parkway and included plans for an eight-story casino, restaurants, bars, a ballroom, a parking garage, two dozen homes, tribal offices, and a 45-acre biological preserve.
Tribe plans federal court challenge
The Scotts Valley Band will fight the reversal in federal court, tribal Chairman Shawn Davis said.
“The administrative record overwhelmingly supports the tribe’s gaming eligibility. We will move quickly to challenge the decision in federal court.”
The project also faced opposition from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which argued the Vallejo site lies within the ancestral territory of the Patwin people.
The next key step is whether the tribe files its court challenge and whether a judge allows any part of the Vallejo gaming plan to move forward while the dispute is litigated.
Based on reporting by Marissa Matozzo for Yahoo News.
