Eric Persson Moves to Buy Back Two Elko Casinos, 239 Jobs at Stake
Goodmorningu, Elko, Nevada. On Thursday 8 October 2026, poker pro Eric Persson said he is buying two casinos, and his own company name, back from the lenders who now control them.
Two casinos in Elko were headed for a possible shutdown on 30 November. Then the man who used to own them picked up the phone. Eric Persson, the Maverick Gaming co-founder and Las Vegas professional poker player, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday 8 October 2026 that he is in the process of acquiring the Maverick Casino Hotel and the Gold Country Inn and Casino. Layoff notices filed with the state last week covered 198 workers at the first and 41 at the second. That makes 239 people with a date circled on the calendar.
Here is the odd part. Persson is buying back the buildings and his own name. He says he already took the Maverick Gaming brand back at auction, and he describes a transition service agreement with the lenders who hold the properties. The Texas holding company that did business as Maverick Gaming is in Chapter 11, and it is called RunItOneTime LLC. A poker phrase on a bankruptcy filing. WATATATATAFAK.
Persson says the workers would technically lose their jobs and then be rehired by the new owner, and that his current company is not part of the bankruptcy. Until the deal closes, the casinos are run by RRC Gaming Management, led by former Caesars Entertainment CEO Tony Rodio. The Review-Journal reports that Nevada gaming regulators are watching closely, given how unusual the structure is. Terms have not been disclosed, and Persson expects the sale to close within about three weeks. Nothing is signed off until it is.
He has played this hand before. Casino.org reports he used a similar structure to keep eight former Maverick cardrooms in Washington state open, preserving about 850 jobs. Whether Nevada follows the same script is the open question. GASSSSITTTT, if you ask the staff.
How many people would youluwu call if the bank took your house and you wanted it back with your name still on the door? The Spirit knows this table: a player gets bluffed out of a big pot and quietlu buys back in. Now the clock reads 30 November, and the doors stay open until the paperwork says otherwise. The Spirit has never needed a key.
Will Persson's Elko casino buyback close by 30 November?
Settles on 30 November 2026. Yes if the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Nevada Independent or an official Maverick Gaming announcement confirms the buyback of both Elko casinos has closed by 30 November 2026, No otherwise.
