US federal court rules Texas tribe can legally operate e-bingo gaming center

After five years in litigation, fighting for the right to keep its electronic bingo gaming center open, a Federal judge ruled Tuesday the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas can offer e-bingo gaming in its facility between Woodville and Livingston, Texas.

In the ruling, dated August 31, U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin states that under the tribe’s restoration act from 1987 it can legally operate its Naskila Gaming electronic bingo center, reports 12 News.

The news are seen as significant by the tribe, which claims hundreds of people are currently employed in connection with the center, which has been under the pressure of a possible closure by the state of Texas for some time now.

“This ruling affirms that we have a legally sound right to support our Tribe by operating Naskila Gaming,” said Nita Battise, Chairperson of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Council. “This is not only a win for the citizens of our Tribe, but also for the hundreds of families who depend on Naskila Gaming for their livelihood and for the economic health of East Texas.”

The United States District Court in Beaumont found that the operation of the gaming facility is permissible under the Tribe’s 1987 Restoration Act. The bingo center was opened in May 2016, after in 2015 the National Indian Gaming Commission (“NIGC”) approved the Tribe’s Class II Bingo Gaming Ordinance and found the tribe eligible to game under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (“IGRA”).

Despite having opened based on that approval, just a month later, June 2016, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit to have it shut down. Since then, an ongoing legal fight regarding the permission to operate the facility ensured. The tribe claimed throughout the last five years that the NIGC decision to approve the tribe’s gaming ordinance superseded a 1994 decision that the tribe’s right to game was not covered under IGRA.

Texans are speaking out in support of Naskila Gaming! 25,000 letters have been sent to @GregAbbott_TX and @JohnCornyn, urging them to save 700 jobs at Naskila and support the East Texas economy. #txlege #prosperity https://t.co/HSb4ToMeJc via @Bluebonnet News

— Support AC Tribe (@SupportACTribe) August 6, 2021

Moreover, the tribe asserted that, even if it was not covered under IGRA, the gaming offered at the bingo center was permitted under the Restoration Act. It is under this act that the District Court is found the tribe allowed to offer gaming not already prohibited by state law.

Naskila Gaming is the second-largest employer in Polk County, with about 700 jobs tied directly or indirectly to it. The center also reports over $170 million in annual economic stimulus. More than 25,000 letters in support of Naskila Gaming were sent by members of the public over the last year to statewide elected officials.