The federal government says a California tribe opened a short-lived casino despite repeated warnings that its legal authority to operate was under review.
A digital rendering of the Scotts Valley Tribe’s proposed $700 million casino resort and hotel for Vallejo, Calif. The casino may never be built after the Interior determined the tribe is not eligible for gaming on the parcel of land. (Image: Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians)On Friday, a Department of Justice attorney told a federal judge that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians knew the Interior Department could reverse an earlier determination that its Vallejo land was eligible for gaming.
Despite those warnings, the tribe opened its “Preview Casino” on July 24, offering Class II gaming out of modular structures.
Six days later, Interior determined that the land did not qualify for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), forcing the tribe to shutter the operation and take the federal government back to court.
Tribe Seeks Injunction
The arguments came as Scotts Valley asked US District Judge Trevor McFadden to issue a preliminary injunction blocking Interior’s July 30 decision. The outcome of the dispute directly threatens the tribe’s much larger ambition for the site: a proposed $700 million casino resort and hotel.
Under IGRA, gaming is generally prohibited on land taken into trust after 1988 unless it qualifies under specific exceptions. Scotts Valley claims its Vallejo property falls under the “restored lands” exception for federally recognized tribes.
While Interior agreed that Scotts Valley met requirements regarding its modern ties to the area and the timing of the acquisition, the department ultimately concluded the tribe failed to demonstrate a sufficiently significant historical connection to the land.
In court Friday, DOJ attorney Amber Dutton-Bynum argued that Scotts Valley could not meet the high threshold for irreparable harm required to secure an injunction. She maintained that the tribe knowingly chose to invest in the Preview Casino while its gaming status remained uncertain, as reported by Law360. Dutton-Bynum added that the modular buildings could easily be repurposed for non-gaming commercial uses if the prohibition stands.
Patrick Bergin, an attorney for Scotts Valley, rejected that argument, noting the difficulty of converting a site explicitly planned and built for gaming into something like an auto dealership.
Bergin also emphasized that the tribe had formally notified Interior twice about its launch timeline for the Preview Casino, providing regular progress updates without ever receiving a directive from federal officials to halt the project.
Long-Running Legal Battle
The conflict stems back to January 2025, when the outgoing Biden administration initially determined that the Vallejo parcel was eligible for gaming.
Interior temporarily rescinded that determination just two months later after newly appointed Secretary Doug Burgum raised concerns over whether the tribe’s historical connection to the land had been thoroughly evaluated.
Scotts Valley filed suit in response. In October 2025, Judge McFadden ruled that Interior had violated the tribe’s due process rights by rescinding the approval without giving prior notice or an opportunity to respond.
However, McFadden’s ruling left the door open for Interior to formally reconsider the underlying gaming eligibility question.
Scotts Valley has maintained that federal officials reversed course under intense political pressure from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, a neighboring tribe that opposes the Vallejo casino development.
During Friday’s hearing, McFadden appeared skeptical that Scotts Valley had met the rigorous legal standard required to demonstrate irreparable harm. He has not yet issued a ruling on the preliminary injunction request.
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