Alabama Coushatta Indian Reservation Casino Livingston Texas

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The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe is Seeking Fair and Equal Treatment Regarding Class II Indian Gaming in Texas

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe willing to ax land claim for casino (April 4, 2013) The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas is willing to drop its land claim in exchange for a casino. A federal court said the tribe deserves $270 million for being deprived of its land rights. H.R.1144, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal.

(June 21, 2019) – The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement Act (House Resolution 759), authored by Congressman Brian Babin of Texas, clarifies the right of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe to offer electronic bingo games at their entertainment facility on the reservation.

In just a few short weeks, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has plans to open a Class II gaming facility. The former Livingston Entertainment Center on its reservation is being converted by the tribe into Naskila Entertainment. 3 of 15 The Alabama Coushatta Indian Tribe in Livingston, Texas about an hour north of Houston reopened its casino after a 14-year closure prompted by threats from the state of Texas to take legal. Alabama-Coushatta Casino In 2001 the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas opened a tribal casino in Livingston, Texas. After nine months of operations it was forced to close after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the tribe was violating the 1987 Indian Restoration Act which prohibited their operating a casino. Get directions, reviews and information for ALABAMA COUSHATTA ONESTOP in Livingston, TX.

There are three federally recognized Tribes in Texas. Only one Tribe, the Kickapoo, are legally allowed to offer Class II gaming on its reservation. This is not fair.

In order to correct that imbalance, HR 759, if passed by Congress will do the following;

  • Corrects conflicting congressional statutes stemming from the 1987 Restoration Act and the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act;
  • DOES NOT allow Class III Vegas style gaming such as table and card games against the house.
  • Allows for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe to conduct electronic bingo and only electronic bingo on their reservations;
  • Provides for the equal and fair opportunity for tribal economic development in the State of Texas

Thousands of Native American tribes in this country operate gaming facilities. There are three classes of Indian Gaming.

  • Class I – Traditional Tribal games
  • Class II – Bingo
  • Class III – Games of chance against the House

Frequently Asked Questions About HR 759 – A Bill Pending in Congress Regarding Indian Gaming

H.R. 759 – Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement Act – authored by Congressman Brian Babin of Texas.

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H.R. 759 is 19 words long and reads: “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude or limit the applicability of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).”

  • Provides for the equal and fair opportunity for tribal economic development in the State of Texas;
  • Corrects conflicting congressional statutes stemming from the 1987 Restoration Act and the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act;
  • Allows for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo to conduct electronic bingo and only electronic bingo on their reservations;
  • DOES NOT allow Class III Vegas style gaming such as table and card games; under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act-Class III Gaming requires a compact with the state, 25 U.S.C. § 2701(3).

In January 2019, U.S. Representative Brian Babin (R-TX) introduced H.R. 759. There are currently 24 co-sponsors, including 7 from the Texas delegation. There are 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats among these co-sponsors.

Is the State of Texas challenging gaming on Tribal lands?

Yes. The State of Texas filed a legal challenge to Naskila Gaming. The Attorney General of the State of Texas has asked a Federal District Court to find that under the Tribe’s Restoration Act of 1987, the Alabama-Coushatta cannot offer gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulation Act (IGRA), passed in 1988.

You can email your elected officials and tell them of your support for HR 759 by going to the home page now.

Will Naskila Gaming remain open during the legal proceedings?

Alabama Coushatta Indian Reservation Casino Livingston Texas Directions

Yes. The Alabama-Coushatta will continue to operate the Naskila Gaming facility. The state may be seeking a permanent closure, but until there is a court ruling affirming the state’s allegations, the Alabama-Coushatta will continue to operate the facility.

Prior to Naskila’s opening, Tribal Council directed the Tribal Attorneys to begin communicating with the Texas Attorney General’s Office and a Pre-Litigation Agreement between the Tribe and the Attorney General’s Office was reached which will allow Naskila Gaming to remain open during court proceedings. This is not the same legal case it was in 2001-2002.

Alabama Coushatta Indian Reservation Casino Livingston Texas Map

The Alabama-Coushatta are now operating the bingo gaming facility pursuant to federal authorization similar to Tribes all over the country. The bingo revenue derived from Naskila Gaming is providing much needed funding for vital Tribal government programs.

When did the Naskila Gaming facility open for business?

May 17, 2016 – The Naskila Entertainment Center opens its doors for business. June 2, 2016 – Grand Opening Celebration

Fourteen years after it was forced to shut down its successful casino near Livingston, Texas, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe announced it will open a Class II gaming facility with 300 electronic games in the same location. The “entertainment center” will be completed next year, said spokesperson Carlos Bullock. “We feel like we can be successful with this venture and people want it,” he said.

The state shut down the Alabama-Coushatta’s casino after it was open only nine months. Texas claimed the tribe was required to follow state gaming under the Alabama-Coushatta Restoration Act signed in 1987, which granted the tribe federal recognition. But the tribe said the Indian Gaming Regulation Act of 1988 allowed gambling on reservation land. Texas officials challenged that, and the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Texas, resulting in the closure of the casino.

But recently the tribe asked the Department of Interior and the National Indian Gaming Commission to clarify their legal standing in regard to gambling. In October, the Interior Department and the NIGC determined the Alabama-Coushatta do indeed have the right to offer bingo and electronic bingo on the reservation. Michael Odle of the NIGC said, “After evaluating that court decision it is in our belief, as well as the Department of the Interior, it provides the tribes in Texas the ability to game under Class II gaming.”

Bullokc said, “It has cost our tribe dearly over the years. We were cut out of gaming because of the language in the restoration act, even though Texas law itself had actually changed and the state got the lottery and bingo and horse racing and dog tracks. But we were shut out.” He added the tribe has not yet submitted a facility license for the site. “It’s a huge opportunity for the tribe. We’ve looked forward to this for many years. We’ve finally accomplished it and we’re going to do what the NGIC and the Department of the Interior have allowed us to do,” Bullock said.

The reopening of the casino will create 150 jobs and help the tribe fund higher education and housing for members. “When we were open before we generated about $1 million a month. When we closed, it was devastating to the tribe. It was a huge impact to lose that kind of revenue, and all those jobs,” Bullock stated.

“A lot of these gaming revenues go to government services, health and education, welfare-type programs, cultural preservation programs. So you’re seeing generation after generation of Native Americans benefitting from Indian gaming,” Odle said.

The Kickapoo tribe, the only Native American tribe in Texas with permission to oversee gambling, offers electronic gambling, poker and bingo at its Eagle Pass operation. The gambling operation of the Tigua tribe of El Paso was shut down before Alabama-Coushatta, also because of a federal court ruling on a state legal challenge.

Legal experts expect the Texas attorney general will challenge the Alabama-Coushatta’s reopening.