Maverick Gaming says it will close two casinos in Elko at the end of November — despite stating  last year its five rural Nevada properties would not be affected by the company's bankruptcy filing in Washington.

The company filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act letters in Nevada last week stating that it plans to close the Gold County Inn and the Maverick Casino Hotel on Nov. 30, laying off 239 workers. 

Maverick said in the letters the closures could be avoided if casinos are transferred to a new operator. Maverick CEO Eric Persson, who moved the privately held company's headquarters to Kirkland, Washington, in 2022 to focus on its cardroom casinos in the state, did not respond to a request for comment.

In the July 2025 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Maverick listed between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities.

WARN letters are filed with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) and required under federal law to give workers 60 days notice of a workplace closing.

Maverick did not file letters covering the company's other three properties —  the nongaming High Desert Inn in Elko, and the Wendover Hotel & Casino and Red Garter Hotel & Casino in West Wendover.  

Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer said in a text message Wednesday the agency is "very involved" in the matter and has "extensively" been in contact with Persson.

Earlier this year, the control board was involved with keeping the Primm properties at the California-Nevada border open, facilitating a transfer of the operations from Affinity Gaming to Terrible's Gaming.

In both WARN letters, signed by Human Resources Director Leticia Flores, Elko employees were told that a "potential change of operator and/or owner" could take place and closure may not occur or "alternatively, the closure could be delayed."

She wrote the company is subject to bankruptcy court proceedings.

Prior to the bankruptcy filing, Maverick operated nearly two dozen licensed cardrooms in Washington primarily surrounding the Seattle area. The cardrooms are limited to 15 table games — baccarat, poker and variations of blackjack.  

In June, Maverick announced it was closing two of its casinos, laying off 132 employees. The company announced last month it planned to close eight additional properties, laying off more than 800 workers. But Persson said this week he would buy back the small casinos and the employees would be rehired.