Scotts Valley Band to Challenge DOI Revocation of Vallejo Gaming Eligibility Under IGRA
TL;DR — The DOI revoked the Scotts Valley Band’s gaming eligibility for its Vallejo trust land, ruling the tribe lacked a significant historical connection under IGRA’s restored lands exception. This reverses a Biden-era approval and follows legal pressure from rival Patwin tribes. The tribe plans federal court action after opening a class II preview casino.
SCCG Take — This reversal shows the litigation exposure inherent in contested IGRA restored lands determinations. Client-partners should track the federal suit for precedent on historical connection standards.
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians will challenge a decision by the US Department of the Interior withdrawing the tribe’s gaming eligibility determination for trust land in Vallejo, California. The reversal came on Friday, days after the tribe opened a class II preview casino on the 160-acre site intended as a precursor to a $700 million casino project.
The DOI determined the tribe did not meet the restored lands exception under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It concluded the Scotts Valley Band had not established a significant historical connection to the Vallejo site. This reverses the Biden administration’s prior determination that the land qualified for gaming.
Historical Connection Questioned
Competing tribes welcomed the DOI action. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which operates Cache Creek Casino, and the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation argued the site lies within their ancestral Patwin homeland rather than that of the Pomo people. They accused the Scotts Valley Band of reservation shopping. The United Auburn Indian Community, operator of Thunder Valley Casino Resort, filed a separate lawsuit claiming the initial approval was flawed and that the DOI failed to consult affected tribes.
The proposed casino would have featured an eight-story facility with restaurants, bars, a ballroom, 24 tribal homes, an administration building, and a 45-acre biological preserve. It formed the core of the tribe’s economic development plan for jobs, housing, and revenue.
Tribe Alleges Political Motivation
The Scotts Valley Band previously described the DOI’s reconsideration as an unlawful and politically motivated campaign engineered by Yocha Dehe Wintun lobbyists. In a statement to Tribal Business News, Scotts Valley Band Chairman Shawn Davis said the administrative record overwhelmingly supports the tribe’s gaming eligibility. Davis vowed to challenge the decision in federal court. The tribe has temporarily suspended gaming operations at the preview casino.
As reported by Casino.org, the DOI action effectively strips the tribe of its right to offer gaming on the land unless the reversal is overturned on appeal. In more than 30 years advising on gaming and securities matters, I have seen these restored lands cases turn on precise evidentiary showings of historical ties. This dispute illustrates how IGRA exceptions invite exactly the sort of inter-tribal litigation now headed to federal court.
Reporting: Casino.org News
Reversed IGRA restored lands approvals are rare but devastating — this fight will set precedent on historical connection standards.
We've navigated IGRA restored lands cases for three decades. This DOI reversal — days after a casino preview opened — underscores the litigation and political risk in contested tribal gaming expansion. The federal suit will shape how tribes prove significant historical connection, and every operator near tribal land should be tracking it closely.
- DOI reversed Biden-era approval, ruling Scotts Valley Band lacks historical connection to Vallejo land under IGRA
- Rival Patwin tribes claim site lies in their ancestral territory; accused Scotts Valley of reservation shopping
- Tribe suspended preview casino operations, plans federal court challenge to overturn revocation
SCCG angle: SCCG has guided tribal and commercial clients through IGRA restored lands disputes and DOI administrative reviews for decades. When eligibility or historical connection is contested, we connect tribes and operators to the regulatory, legal, and government relations teams who can build the evidentiary record and navigate federal court appeals before projects stall or capital evaporates.