Gaming machines at the Naskila Entertainment gaming facility in Livingston, Texas. Photo from Facebook
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas rejoined the Indian gaming industry last week and is hoping to recapture dollars that might otherwise be going to neighboring Louisiana. Naskila Entertainment is located in Livingston, less than 100 miles from the nearest non-Indian facility in Louisiana. The tribe actively promotes the Class II establishment as a "New, Closer Destination For Gaming Entertainment." "We can stay here in Texas and keep our money here," one Naskila patron told KPLC. Wade Duty, the executive director of the Louisiana Casino Association, agreed that the new facility poses a competitive threat. The state's commercial industry could lose even more money if full-scale gaming is legalized in Texas, he warned. "At some point we have to sit down and determine what can we do to make Louisiana gaming more competitive," Duty told KPLC. "Louisiana gets close to $800 million off all forms of gaming combined and that's certainly a revenue stream that it desperately needs to protect." Class II gaming is not as lucrative as Class III gaming but Naskila could still prevent people from traveling further away for gaming and entertainment options. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians operates a successful enterprise in nearby Alabama based on Class II games. Louisiana is home to more than two dozen tribal casinos, riverboat casinos and racetracks, according to Wikipedia. Get the Story:
New Texas gaming facility creates competition for Louisiana casinos (KPLC 5/24)
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