Eric Persson to Rebuy Washington Casinos and Keep Them Open

Eric Persson moves to save eight Washington casinos

Washington’s poker and casino scene got a major reprieve: the eight properties previously slated to shut down in November will now remain open after Maverick Gaming CEO and high-stakes poker player Eric Persson said he is buying them back from lenders.

This is more than a corporate reshuffle. In a local gaming market, a closure can instantly affect dealers, floor staff, cash-game regulars, and the broader network that depends on steady foot traffic. That is why the story matters well beyond Maverick’s balance sheet.

For more context on the day-to-day side of the game, check out our coverage of poker rooms, poker clubs, and poker school.

Why the closure plan changed

According to Persson, lenders created RunItOneTime LLC in 2025 and then notified the Employment Security Department last week about the planned shutdowns. The notice suggested roughly 850 employees could lose their jobs.

Persson is now forming a new company to reacquire the properties. He said the locations will stay open throughout the ownership transition, with the deal expected to close in about three weeks.

From a customer perspective, he said, the experience should remain essentially the same.

• the casinos stay open;
• employees are terminated by the old entity and rehired by the new one;
• regulars keep access to their local games;
• operations continue without a hard stop.

For players who rely on stable local venues, that continuity matters just as much as any promotions & bonuses a room might offer.

Which properties are involved in the Washington deal

The eight properties now set to remain open are part of a larger and messy restructuring story. In September, the company also announced closures of two additional properties in Tukwila. Those are still scheduled to close on Nov. 1, with 238 employees expected to lose their jobs. Persson said on X/Twitter that he no longer owns those properties.

He also told KIRO that the company had sold two properties, though he did not name them. Separately, Persson said three other Maverick casinos were also sold, but again did not identify them.

That kind of fragmentation is common when gaming assets move through distressed ownership. For players, the practical takeaway is simple: the corporate structure may change fast, but the future of the poker room depends on whether the venue remains operational and financially viable.

Chapter 11, RunItOneTime, and the new Maverick

Persson also tried to clear up confusion surrounding the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. He said Maverick agreed to transfer assets to lenders in July 2025, after which the lenders filed Chapter 11 under a different company, RunItOneTim.

Persson then reacquired the Maverick Gaming name and created a new company under that brand. He says the new Maverick is not part of the bankruptcy proceedings and is not affiliated with RunItOneTime LLC.

That distinction matters. In gaming, headlines about bankruptcy can make it sound like a full shutdown is inevitable, when in reality the story may be about asset transfers, legal separation, and an attempt to keep the operating business alive.

Expert analysis: why this matters for players and the industry

Persson’s move is a reminder that regional gaming properties still have real value, even when the parent company is under heavy pressure. For players, the biggest benefit is stability: the same local cardroom, the same staff, and the same game selection can continue without interruption.

That stability is especially important in markets where many players treat a nearby room as their home base. A closure can fracture the player pool, weaken daily cash games, and force regulars to travel farther or shift to different poker clubs.

There is also a broader strategic lesson here. Land-based poker operators face a tougher environment than many casual fans realize. Regulatory limitations, higher overhead, and competition from tribal gaming can put enormous pressure on margins. Persson has long argued that Washington’s commercial casinos and cardrooms operate in a difficult business climate, especially when centralized surveillance rules differ from those applied to tribal operations.

For industry workers, this is a reminder to understand the business behind the felt. For aspiring pros and employees alike, it can be useful to pay attention not only to game selection, but also to industry pathways such as a poker agent or other support roles that connect players with the ecosystem.

The bigger picture is that the market is not disappearing; it is consolidating, restructuring, and being forced to adapt. Operators that can preserve trust and keep doors open will survive. Those that cannot may continue to be absorbed or repackaged.

Persson’s broader asset buyback strategy

Persson said the new Maverick has already been buying assets back from lenders, including four Washington cardrooms in Kirkland, Mountlake Terrace, and Lakewood, plus a slot-manufacturing company. Repurchasing the eight properties now adds another major layer to that portfolio.

He also said the company expects to reacquire a property in Elko, Nevada, in about three weeks.

On X/Twitter, Persson was blunt: the properties are not closing, Maverick Gaming is acquiring them, and the jobs are being protected. He also stressed that Maverick Gaming and RunItOneTime LLC are completely separate companies.

For players, the takeaway is that a familiar brand can survive a financial reset if the underlying assets and operating licenses can be reassembled quickly enough.

Conclusion: a win for continuity, but not a clean slate

The immediate outcome is positive: eight Washington casinos are expected to stay open, and the jobs tied to them are being preserved through a new ownership structure. That is the best possible result for workers, regulars, and the local poker ecosystem.

Still, the situation is also a warning. The land-based poker business remains vulnerable to debt, regulation, and operational pressure. Persson’s move may stabilize these properties for now, but the wider industry will keep facing the same structural challenges that made this drama possible in the first place.

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