Maverick Gaming owner moves to buy back 8 casinos, 850 jobs in play

Eric Persson has moved to reacquire eight Washington casinos named in closure notices.

The hit

Maverick Gaming owner Eric Persson has moved to reacquire eight Washington casinos that were named in recent closure notices, according to KIRO Newsradio. Persson says the properties will stay open through the ownership change, with staff expected to be rehired by the new company once the purchase closes in about three weeks.

Why it matters

Workers faced termination after Maverick Washington LLC filed WARN notices. The company’s HR director stated Maverick Washington LLC is currently subject to a bankruptcy proceeding & that a new owner could keep a site open. Persson says Maverick Gaming is not a party to the bankruptcy & is a separate company, & insists the notices reflect a change of employer, not a shutdown.

The record

Jobs affected	About 850, according to Yogonet
WARN notices filed by	Maverick Washington LLC, subsidiary of RunItOneTime LLC
Tukwila closures flagged in September	238 jobs (Riverside Casino: 142; Great American Casino: 96)
Listed closure date for Tukwila sites	1 November
Other assets bought back by Persson in past year	4 card rooms (Kirkland x2, Mountlake Terrace, Lakewood) & a manufacturing company

What happens next

Persson says two more properties are being sold to another buyer within roughly a month, with three others already sold elsewhere.

Sources: Maverick Gaming owner Eric Persson to buy back eight Washington casinos named in closure notices

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