Eight Washington Casinos Just Got a Second Chance—Here's What Happened

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-07

### A Surprise Rescue for Eight Washington Casinos You know that feeling when something's about to shut down, and then—out of nowhere—someone steps in and saves the day? That's basically what just happened with eight casinos in Washington State. Eric Persson, the owner of Maverick Gaming, has moved to buy back these properties from lenders. If everything goes as planned, around 850 jobs will be preserved. That's 850 families who can breathe a little easier. ### Why Were They Closing in the First Place? The casinos were originally scheduled to close on November 30. Maverick Washington LLC had filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices—basically a heads-up that layoffs were coming. But then Persson stepped in. He's now working on a deal to transfer ownership back to himself, and he expects it to close within about three weeks. During the transition, operations will continue as normal. ### What This Means for Employees and the Community For the roughly 850 people working at these casinos, this is huge. Losing a job around the holidays is brutal. Now, instead of polishing up resumes, they can focus on their regular shifts. > "We're committed to keeping these doors open and our team employed," Persson said in a statement. "This is about more than business—it's about people." That quote sums up the mood pretty well. It's not just about profit margins; it's about livelihoods. ### The Bigger Picture: What's Next? The ownership transfer should wrap up in about three weeks. After that, Persson will officially own the properties again. The casinos will keep running, and the jobs stay intact. Of course, there's always a bit of uncertainty with these deals. But for now, things are looking up. If you're one of the employees at these locations, you can probably stop worrying about that pink slip. ### Key Takeaways - **Eight casinos** in Washington were set to close on November 30. - **Eric Persson** is buying them back from lenders. - **Around 850 jobs** will be saved if the deal closes. - **Operations continue** during the transition period. - **Deal expected to close** within three weeks. So there you have it. Sometimes, things work out. And in this case, a lot of people just got a much-needed break. --- *This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice.*