The U.S. Department of Interior and the National Indian Gaming Commission recently affirmed the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe’s right to operate gaming activities on its 10,200-acre reservation near Livingston, Texas. The tribe has pursued state and federal approval of gaming activities since its Speaking Rock Casino closed in 2002, when the Texas attorney general sued the tribe over the type of entertainment operations it could offer. At the time Speaking Rock was a full-blown casino, but has offered only sweepstakes games and hosted concerts on the since then. The number of employees dropped from 1,200 to 500.
Tigua Governor Carlos Hisa said the ruling will clear the way for Class II electronic bingo gaming at Speaking Rock, with the NIGC assuming regulatory duties over gaming operations; formerly the U.S. District Court in El Paso determined what could be offered. “For a number of years we’ve been constantly going to court with the state. We’ve been operating on a day-by-day case because we just don’t know what’s going to come down. The judge at any time could have shut us down so we were very careful on the decisions we made. What I know it’s going to do for us as a tribal council is be able to plan for the community. We will be back to the days when we had Speaking Rock before and be able to provide more services, education, healthcare, housing,” Hisa said.
Tribal Chairwoman Nita Battise noted, “The tribe’s perseverance has paid off. It is a testament to the dedication and support of our tribal members that helped accomplish such a major milestone in our tribal history. A Class II facility not only will benefit the tribe, it will benefit the entire region in southeast Texas because an entertainment business attracts visitors to the region and we will be able to provide employment in the area.”
