TLDR The Cayuga Nation filed a federal lawsuit against Caesars Sportsbook on June 16, 2026 The tribe says Caesars accepted mobile sports bets from within its New York reservation without a required tribal-state compact Caesars agreed to geofence the reservation in July 2025 but later refused to provide a revenue accounting The complaint cites the Ho-Chunk v. Kalshi ruling and includes a false-advertising claim under the Lanham Act The tribe is seeking damages, disgorgement of profits, and a full accounting of revenues
The Cayuga Nation, a federally recognized tribe in New York, has filed a federal lawsuit against Caesars Sportsbook, accusing the operator of illegally accepting mobile sports wagers placed within the tribe’s reservation.
The complaint was filed June 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
What the Tribe Is Alleging
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), Class III gaming on tribal lands can only be conducted under an approved tribal-state compact. The Cayuga Nation does not have such a compact.
The tribe says Caesars accepted sports bets from users physically located on its 64,015-acre reservation between January 2022 and July 2025. It argues this made every one of those wagers unlawful.
The Cayuga Nation sent Caesars a cease-and-desist letter in June 2025. Caesars agreed to geofence the reservation in July 2025.
In September 2025, the tribe asked Caesars to provide an accounting of all wagers and revenues from the reservation. Caesars declined.
Cayuga Nation representative Clint Halftown said Caesars had “illegally encroached on our sovereign rights” by operating within the reservation without authorization.
The tribe is asking the court for declaratory relief, damages, disgorgement of profits, and a full revenue accounting.
Other mobile sportsbooks, including FanDuel and DraftKings, voluntarily geofenced the reservation after the tribe contacted them in 2025.