A decades-long legal fight between the state of Texas and the El Paso Tigua Tribe regarding the legality of bingo-like games has ended, after both parties agreed to dismiss the case last week.
The tribe maintained they could offer the games of chance inside its Speaking Rock entertainment center.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton maintained gambling was illegal in the state and those games were not permitted. The state even went as far as to shut down the casino in 2002, a move that financially impacted the Tiguas.
The lawsuit stretched back to 1993 and the battle went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court handed a decision in June that sided with the Tiguas and strengthened their sovereignty.
The Court sent the case back to a lower court in El Paso with the stipulation that the case be considered under new guidelines. The lower court judge ordered both parties to try and work out any remaining differences.
Instead, both sides sent a response to the judge that read, “The Parties have agreed to enter into this joint stipulation of dismissal to dismiss the case in its entirety.”
Brent Marin, a lawyer representing the Tiguas tribe, released a statement after the case was dismissed.
“The Tribe is proud to have reached an agreement with the state of Texas to end the decades-long dispute over the Tribe’s gaming activities. We are grateful that the Supreme Court has affirmed the Tribe’s sovereignty under the (federal) Restoration Act. The Tribe will continue to offer entertainment, concerts, and gaming at Speaking Rock, and is excited to expand its services to better serve the Tribe’s members and west Texas.”
