Kingdom Below

About Kingdom Below

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Interior temporarily rescinded that determination just two months later after newly appointed Secretary Doug Burgum raised concerns over whether the tribe’s historical connection to the land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.

About Kingdom Below

“If the tax burden alone makes it impossible to establish the occupation of slot machine operators as the economic basis of one’s livelihood within the municipality,” the ruling said. 

Braun also argued that the public had been excluded from the preparatory finance committee meeting without justification.

But the court said that point did not affect the validity of the by-law, adding that it saw no evidence of a tax that would choke businesses. 

About Kingdom Below

“The regulatory failures are unhelpful but perhaps the sheer number and regularity of them has made them less remarkable, such that they become ‘wallpaper’,” Waugh says.

He argues that some lawyers and licensees believe the Commission’s presentation of cases is detached from the operational reality but feel they have little option other than to accept the “regulator’s truth” when settling.

“The Commission’s approach to reporting may well create the inaccurate impression that the industry is inherently non-compliant,” he adds. A more balanced account might place failures alongside the majority of licensees that pass assessments or lead on customer wellbeing, although Waugh considers such a shift unlikely.