Second, the Tribe asserted that even if it was not covered under IGRA, the gaming being offered at Naskila was permitted under the Restoration Act. First, the Tribe argued that the decision of the NIGC to approve the Tribe’s gaming ordinance was entitled to deference by the courts and superseded a 1994 decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Tribe’s right to game was not covered under IGRA but, rather, the Tribe’s Restoration Act.

A month later, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit seeking to shut Naskila Gaming down. In 2015, the National Indian Gaming Commission (“NIGC”) approved the Tribe’s Class II Bingo Gaming Ordinance and found that the Tribe was eligible to game under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (“IGRA”), the federal law governing tribal gaming throughout the United States. Based on that approval, the Tribe opened Naskila Gaming in May 2016. The continued operation of Naskila Gaming is vital to the economic success of the community we proudly call home.” “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. “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. District Judge Keith Giblin is a major victory for the future of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, the hundreds of people employed at Naskila, and the economic stability of the East Texas region.įor years, the State of Texas has worked in court to close Naskila Gaming, even as tens of thousands of Texans, dozens of civic groups, and elected leaders from both parties have expressed strong support for allowing the Tribe to operate the facility. LIVINGSTON, Texas (KTRE) - After five years of litigation, the United States District Court in Beaumont ruled this week that the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas may legally operate its Naskila Gaming electronic bingo facility near Livingston, stating that such gaming is permissible under the Tribe’s 1987 Restoration Act.

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