Vallejo "Preview Casino" | Still 'Opening Soon'?
March 11, 2026
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians announced plans in late December to open a "Preview Casino" soon on the tribe's land near I-80 and Highway 37 in Vallejo, California. The announcement said the opening date would be "in early 2026" and "as early as January".
So far, no opening date has been announced, and the first quarter of 2026 is ending.
Preview Casino
The Preview Casino will be a temporary casino housed inside newly-renovated, modular buildings that are already on the property. The gaming machines will be Class II electronic bingo-style machines, which resemble slot machines, and pay jackpots from player pools rather than paid by the house (Class III slot machines).
There have been no reports of the number of Class II slot machines to be installed, and the tribe has recently denied rumors that slot machines have arrived onsite.
Department of Interior
The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) rescinded its approval of the Vallejo casino last April 2025 and is reevaluating whether the Vallejo land is eligible for a casino under the "restored lands" exception defined in the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
Federal Court
Last October, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia nullified the DOI's recission order because it violated the Fifth Amendment due process rights of the Scotts Valley Band. The DOI had not given the tribe prior notice of its decision nor an opportunity to reply.
At the same time, the court restored the tribe's right to proceed with its casino development during the DOI's reevaluation process. The ruling did not prohibit the tribe from construction and operation of a preview or temporary casino.
Preview Casino Opening
In December the Scotts Valley tribe announced plans to open a Preview Casino very soon on their Vallejo land. So far, that has not happened. Why?
When the Preview Casino opens, there will be immediate legal and political fallout for the tribe to contend with. Here are the key issues that will be triggered in the aftermath of the grand opening:
Legal Fallout
Preview Casino will not face an injunction, court order or federal directive to shut down because the casino is deemed legal by the DC District Court ruling in October. However, since the DOI reevaluation is currently underway, the casino opening will likely trigger a fresh round of lawsuits from opposing tribes, who will claim the Preview Casino is operating unlawful gaming on land not yet eligible.Political Fallout
The Preview Casino opening during the DOI reevaluation is also expected to bring political backlash from Vallejo city leaders and local opposition groups. There will also be an intertribal political escalation lobbying against the casino in Sacramento and Washington, along with highly-increased pressure on the DOI to reject its eligibility.
Since the Scotts Valley Band announced its plan last December to open a Preview Casino soon in Vallejo, has the tribe reconsidered and changed its plan in light of the legal and political fallout that will follow?
The tribe may have silently decided to wait on the casino until the DOI finishes its reevaluation of the Vallejo site eligibility. Since the December announcement there have been no casino updates on the opening date, no reports of hiring or training employees, and no reports of equipment installation.
Conclusion
The Preview Casino project remains alive but may not be opening very soon. The Scotts Valley Band may have decided to quietly delay the project until the DOI finishes its review.
Portions of this article were researched and developed with assistance from Microsoft Copilot (2026).
