North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians in California seeks dismissal of a legal challenge to their $750 million casino resort project.
The North Fork Mono Casino & Resort is close to completion on a 305-acre site off Highway 99 north of Madera. With over 2,400 slot machines, 40 table games, eight dining options, and four bars, the property plans to open in October.
The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, operating the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, Calif., filed a lawsuit claiming the project lacks valid state approval required under federal gaming law.
The lawsuit names the North Fork Rancheria, its partner Station Casinos, and the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) which approved the 2024 management agreement between the tribe and Station.
Fork in the Road
A setback for Picayune came from California state courts ruling that former Gov. Jerry Brown’s endorsement of the North Fork project in 2012 was invalidated by California voters.
In 2011, the federal government approved North Fork’s plans for the Madera site, stating it would benefit the tribe without harming the community.
Then-Gov. Jerry Brown supported the decision in 2012, signing a tribal-state gaming compact with North Fork. The US Department of the Interior also approved taking the land into federal trust for the tribe that year.
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), gambling on tribal lands acquired in trust post-1988 is generally prohibited, unless specific conditions are met.
Picayune contests that North Fork cannot meet IGRA’s conditions due to the invalidated gubernatorial agreement.
In 2024, a Madera County judge ruled that Proposition 48 nullified Brown’s approval, deeming it legally invalid from the start.
The California Supreme Court declined to review North Fork’s appeal in April after California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld the judgment in December 2025. Recent federal litigation supports North Fork’s federal approvals for the project.
‘Legally Invalid’
Picayune argues that North Fork’s project does not comply with IGRA due to the void gubernatorial agreement.
Red Rock Resorts, financing and developing the casino through its Station Casinos subsidiary, anticipates an opening in October and remains steadfast in advancing the project.