The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians has launched a preview casino on a site near its envisioned $700 million casino resort in Vallejo, California.
The facility features a limited selection of Class II gaming machines housed in several refurbished modular structures. Currently, access is restricted to invited guests only.
Despite this, the tribe emphasized on Friday that this launch represents a vital step toward “realizing [its] gaming rights and fulfilling our promise to develop our homeland for the benefit of our members and Vallejo’s residents.”
The much larger resort project is still uncertain. The Biden administration approved the tribe’s trust application on January 10, 2026, which allowed for the casino to proceed. However, the Trump administration’s interior department placed that approval on hold for a legal review to determine if the land was suitable for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
Legal Challenges
This project has become one of the most hotly debated tribal casino developments in the United States. Multiple neighboring tribes have filed lawsuits aiming to halt it, claiming the proposed resort is situated in the ancestral territory of the Patwin people, not the Pomo.
The legal discussion centers around an IGRA clause that permits certain restored tribes to establish casinos on newly trusted land if they can prove a significant historical link to the area.
The Scotts Valley Band asserts that federal officials have correctly determined that it meets this criterion based on the Biden-era ruling, while competing tribes contend that the initial decision was flawed, emphasizing that the land has traditionally been recognized as Patwin territory.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and Kletsel Dehe Nation were the first to dispute the federal endorsement. They have been joined in separate legal actions by the Lytton Rancheria and the United Auburn Indian Community, while the Scotts Valley Band has initiated its own lawsuit against the Interior Department regarding the reconsideration of the project’s approval.
Currently Operating
At present, the tribe’s modest gaming operation has received the nod from the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and the city of Vallejo via a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
“In collaboration with the city, we’ve taken measures to ensure Vallejo possesses the necessary financial resources to provide city services related to this initiative,” remarked Shawn Davis, Chairman of the Scotts Valley Band, in a statement made on Friday (July 25).
“We will persist in our close collaboration with city officials as we advance our vision of a premier gaming and entertainment venue that fosters long-term economic growth for our tribe, Vallejo, and Solano County,” he added.
The Department of the Interior is anticipated to announce its verdict regarding the tribe’s gaming eligibility for the land by the end of this week (July 31), which will play a pivotal role in the future of the $700 million resort.