Maverick Gaming to Shut Two More Washington Casinos

Maverick Gaming is closing two of its Washington properties in November, eliminating 238 jobs as the casino operator continues its restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Maverick Gaming Cuts 238 Jobs as Washington Retreat Continues The company’s affiliate, Maverick Washington LLC, filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices with Washington state officials on August 31. Documents show that two Tukwila casinos, Riverside Casino and Great American Casino, will close November 1, as reported by The Street. Riverside Casino is responsible for the majority of the workforce cuts, with 142 jobs expected to be lost. Another 96 jobs will be cut at Great American Casino. Some of the affected workers belong to Teamsters Local 117. The closures are part of a major retrenchment of Maverick Gaming’s footprint in Washington. Over the past year, the operator has shuttered a number of venues, including Silver Dollar SeaTac Casino, Crazy Moose Casino Mountlake and Silver Dollar Casino Mill Creek. Those closures affected more than 160 employees in total. Maverick filed for bankruptcy in July 2025, after its aggressive expansion strategy saddled the company with substantial financial obligations. At the time of its filing, the operator reported between $100 million and $500 million in assets and liabilities, according to bankruptcy documents. Maverick Gaming Faces Rising Costs and Heavy Debt Burden The company had been expanding rapidly since the US Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports wagering in 2018. Maverick bought up many Washington cardrooms, becoming one of the state’s largest nontribal gaming operators. That strategy was partly based on expectations that Washington would eventually allow commercial sports betting. However, instead, state lawmakers authorized sports wagering at tribal casinos in legislation passed in 2020. Maverick later went to court to challenge the arrangement, saying the system gave tribal operators an unfair advantage, but the legal effort failed. Maverick’s restructuring filings point to several reasons for its financial woes. The company also cited broader issues in the gaming industry, as well as internal operational problems affecting its Washington operations, where competition from tribal casinos has posed challenges. Labor costs have become another worry, particularly in Tukwila. A bankruptcy filing says the minimum wage in the city increased 46% from 2022 to 2025, more than the increase seen across Washington during the same period. The higher payroll costs added to the strain on the company’s Tukwila properties. Maverick also has significant debt obligations. It has a pre-bankruptcy credit facility of around $305.8 million secured by most of the company’s assets, adding to liquidity pressures as borrowing costs rise. However, the closures have not indicated Maverick has given up on its other operations. The company still has gaming outlets in Washington, Nevada and Colorado, but its presence in Washington has been drastically scaled back. Meanwhile, the bankruptcy process continues. On August 31, the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas approved another extension of the period during which Maverick maintains exclusive rights to file its Chapter 11 restructuring plan.