UMVA has learned that a long-running dispute over a proposed casino in Madera County has escalated, with the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians seeking to block the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians from opening its planned gaming resort.
The lawsuit, filed on June 5 in a U.S. federal court, names North Fork, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the commission’s chair as defendants, along with Station Casinos LLC and Red Rock Resorts Inc., which are involved in developing the North Fork Mono Casino & Resort.
The future of the mega casino in Madera County hangs in the balance, with a recent court ruling casting doubt on the project. A Fresno appellate court dealt a major blow to North Fork Rancheria, ruling that the approvals used to build the casino are no longer valid.
At the heart of the dispute is a 305-acre site in Madera County that was taken into federal trust in 2013. Picayune argues that California voters rejected the project through Proposition 48 in 2014 and that later court rulings established that the gubernatorial concurrence relied upon by North Fork was invalid.
According to information obtained by UMVA, a California appellate court ruled in 2025 that North Fork lacked the state approval needed to conduct gaming, and the California Supreme Court declined to review that decision on April 1, 2026. Picayune maintains that the California courts have conclusively established that North Fork lacks the state-law approval necessary to operate its planned casino.
Despite these rulings, Picayune says North Fork continues to push forward with federal approvals, including a management contract approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission in 2024 that allows Red Rock and Station Casinos to help develop and operate the casino. Picayune argues that this approval was unlawful because North Fork is not eligible to conduct gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act without valid state concurrence.
The lawsuit also targets Secretarial Procedures issued by the Department of the Interior in 2016, which Picayune contends authorize gaming only on lands where Class III Gaming may lawfully be conducted. Construction appears to be moving ahead, with the project website stating that construction has begun and will continue to ramp up in the next few months, with a grand opening date expected in Fall 2026.
This dispute is part of a larger trend of tribal casino disputes across California. A federal judge in Washington recently paused a lawsuit involving the Koi Nation casino proposal in Northern California, while related appeals move forward. Separately, four California tribes have raised concerns about a temporary casino proposal in Vallejo, arguing that gaming activity should wait until federal reviews are completed and legal questions are resolved.
Picayune, which operates Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, says a competing North Fork casino would significantly reduce gaming revenue and affect funding for tribal programs and services. The tribe is asking the court to overturn the gaming commission’s management-contract approval and prevent gaming operations from starting at the site.
