This page contains archived news updates for Texas Casinos from 2021. These items were originally posted on the casino's profile page and have been preserved here as part of the 500 Nations legacy news archive. Major stories from this year may also appear as standalone articles in the main News section.
U.S. Supreme Court will hear Texas Indian casino case
October 31, 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. Texas to determine whether the tribe can operate a Class II gaming casino under the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988.
For thirty years the State of Texas has blocked casino gambling on two tribal reservations. The state bases its case on the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Indian Tribe of Texas Restoration Act passed by Congress in 1987. The act prohibits "gaming activities on their reservations - such as slot-machine gambling - if those activities are prohibited by the laws of Texas".
The decision by the court to take up this case followed the urging of the U.S. Justice Department. News story
Texas Tribes gain casino support from U.S. Justice Department
September 10, 2021
The U.S. Justice Department is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the State of Texas cases against the Tigua Indians of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (El Paso) and the Alabama-Coushatta of East Texas (Livingston). The acting solicitor general has filed a brief urging the high court review in its next session beginning next month.
The State of Texas has continually filed lawsuits over the past 28 years to stop the two tribes from operating Class II gaming under the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The Texas court rulings have favored the State, and now the Justice Department is challenging those decisions.
The court brief reads:
"In its 1994 decision in Ysleta I - and in various decisions over the subsequent decades, including the decision below - the court of appeals has erroneously construed the Restoration Act to broadly permit application of state standards to tribal gaming operations on Indian lands, even where the State regulates forms of gaming rather than prohibiting them outright."
- U.S. Justice Department
The third Texas Tribe, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, operates the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel in Eagle Pass, Texas. This tribe was not included in the Restoration Act of 1987 and is not included in this court case.
Choctaw Casinos partners with Texas Rangers to name 'Choctaw Stadium'
September 5, 2021
Choctaw Casinos & Resorts has signed a 25-year partnership with the Texas Rangers for the naming rights to Globe Life Park in Arlington. Globe Life Park was the home stadium of the Rangers from 1994-2019. The stadium is now named 'Choctaw Stadium'.
The new deal expands the partnership between Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and the Texas baseball team that began in 2010. Choctaw is the 'official casino' of the Rangers with branding at Globe Life Field, the current home of the Rangers located across the street.
"Today's naming rights announcement for Globe Life Park further extends Choctaw's presence in the Arlington Entertainment District, which also includes Globe Life Field and Texas Live!"
What happened to the Texas commercial casino legislation promoted by Sheldon Adelson and Las Vegas Sands with dozens of lobbyists and thousands of TV ads? The Texas House was considering a joint resolution HJR 133 to let Texas voters approve or reject a November ballot measure to authorize commercial casinos in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
The simply answer is the House committees stalled the legislation and prevented a floor vote before the legislature adjourned for the year. This killed both the casino bill and a sports betting bill for the time being. Both issues may return in the next legislative session.
U.S. House passes casino bill supporting two Texas tribes
May 17, 2021
Last week the U.S. House of representatives passed a bill to allow two Texas tribes to operate Class II casinos on their reservation land under the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). Class II gaming refers to e-bingo slot machines where players win jackpots from other players rather than from the house.
The two tribes supported by the federal bill are the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe in Livingston, Texas and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso. Both tribes have fought the State of Texas in court for decades to win the right to operate Class II casinos.
Under the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) all federally-recognized tribes in the United States can operate Class II casinos without state jurisdiction. if the games are legal within the state. Bingo is legal in Texas and that is why the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe has operated e-bingo gambling at its Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass since 1996.
Casino gambling is a different situation for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. Both are federally recognized, however, in 1987 both tribes agreed to prohibit all gambling under the Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act. A year later in 1988 the federal government enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), and ever since the State of Texas has fought to prevent the two tribes from opening Class II casinos under the federal law.
The U.S. House bill bypasses state jurisdiction and allows the two tribes to operate Class II casinos on their lands in accordance with the IGRA. These are the only two tribes in the nation that have been prevented from casinos under the federal law.
The House bill now goes to the Senate where it is expected to face a fierce fight from Texas Sen. John Cornyn. The senator has repeatedly expressed his strong opposition to the bill.
Texas bill would give voters choice on casino gambling
April 25, 2021
The Texas House is considering a joint resolution HJR 133 that would let voters decide in November whether or not to allow commercial casinos in the state. The bill proposes a limit of four destination casinos to be built in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
The bill is based on a proposal by Las Vegas Sands, which is promoting the plan with TV ads in the four casino markets specified in the bill.
Texas tribes oppose this bill. A spokesperson for the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas explained:
"If casino gambling is allowed in San Antonio under HJR 133, the tribes gambling community would suffer an enormous economic hit. Players aren't going to drive two and half hours to play the same games they can play much closer to home."
- Jennifer Hughes, Kickapoo Tribe
The Texas Senate has not scheduled a hearing on the joint resolution SJR 49 at this time.
U.S. House bill supports Texas Indian gaming casinos
April 12, 2021
U.S. House Bill 2208 supports Indian gaming by the Tigua Indians of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The Tigua Indians operate Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso which was previously an Indian gaming casino until it was closed by the state in 2002. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas operate Naskila Gaming in Livingston which operates Class II slot machines. Both locations have been approved for Indian gaming by the federal government, however, Texas is fighting in court to shut down all casino gambling.
H.R. Bill 2208 is named the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Act. The bill will ensure the Tigua Indians and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe are governed by the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). This is the case with the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, which operate the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass. The bill would allow Class II gaming for both tribes.
Texas bipartisan bill would legalize casino gambling
March 11, 2021
A proposed bill in the Texas legislature would allow four casino resorts to be open in Texas the major metro areas Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. The plan is derived from a proposal by Las Vegas Sands See article.
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Gambling in Texas? Lawmakers fighting to get casinos in the Lone Star State - Courtesy of 2NewsNow, Mar 10, 2021. Available from YouTube
For this bill to become law, it must pass both houses of the legislature by a two-thirds vote followed by a ballot referendum approved by Texas voters.
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