Alabama-Coushatta Tribe prepares to open casino in a few weeks

Monday, February 29, 2016

Artist's rendering of the Naskila Entertainment gaming facility in Livingston, Texas. Image from Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas / Facebook

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The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas plans to open a Class II gaming facility in a matter of weeks.

The tribe is converting a lodge on the reservation into Naskila Entertainment. Douglas Searle, a veteran of the tribal and commercial industry, is running the operation and expects to open the 15,000 square-foot facility with 365 gaming devices and a restaurant in April, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“I think one of the biggest problems we’ll have is getting all the people who want to get inside the facility,” Searle told The Austin-American Statesman. He also told the paper that the casino could generate $1 million a month.

Plans are already in the works for more gaming machines, table games and poker, according to Searle. Further down the road, the tribe is considering a hotel, golf course and other amenities.

Work continues to create the Naskila Entertainment gaming facility in Livingston, Texas. Image from Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas / Facebook

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The tribe operated a casino until it was shut down in 2002 due to litigation from the state. At issue was a provision in the Alabama-Coushatta Restoration Act that was interpreted to prohibit gaming on the reservation.

But the National Indian Gaming Commission approved the tribe's Class II gaming ordinance last year, citing a new interpretation from the Office of the Solicitor at the Interior Department. The Obama administration determined that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act "impliedly repealed" the provision in the restoration act.

The state has refused to accept the new interpretation as part of an ongoing lawsuit involving the Tigua Tribe, whose restoration law includes a similar provision.

Get the Story:
East Texas tribe expects big returns on slotlike bingo machines (The Austin American-Statesman 2/27)

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