California judge tentatively finds state tribal gaming law pre-empted by IGRA
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lauri Damrell issued a tentative decision finding that the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act pre-empts California’s Tribal Nations Access to Justice Act. The decision could prevent tribes from pursuing state-court claims against cardrooms over alleged illegal gambling; tribal lawyers argued the case concerns games outside tribal land. The judge may revise the decision before an October 10 hearing.
The decision could affect tribes’ ability to bring state-court challenges to California cardroom games and third-party banking practices.