The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has opened Naskila Casino Leggett, giving Polk County its first operating piece of a much larger casino resort planned for the property.
Tribal members marked the occasion Monday (August 24) with a Tribal Membership Opening Day ceremony. Doors opened to everyone Tuesday and visitors began lining up early.
Operating around the clock, the temporary casino offers 300 electronic gaming machines and a dining facility. Local reporting says the operation has brought roughly 100 new jobs to the area.
For tribal leaders, Leggett also signals a new period of economic development after years spent fighting in court over gaming. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas could not apply its gaming laws to stop electronic bingo on tribal land when state law did not prohibit the activity outright. Texas later abandoned its longstanding lawsuit against the Tribe.
Naskila Casino Leggett opening signals wider tribal gaming and economic expansion
Construction is already underway nearby on the permanent Naskila Casino Resort, which broke ground in June. Plans cover roughly 685,000 square feet, with about 3,400 electronic bingo machines and a 366-room hotel.
Guests are also expected to find restaurants, bars and lounges, a resort-style pool complex and around 35,000 square feet for conferences and events. A grand ballroom is designed for crowds of up to 1,000 people. The opening of the first phase is targeted for late 2028.
The development builds on Naskila’s existing operation near Livingston, which has been running since 2016. Tribal officials point to its wider role in the East Texas economy, including jobs and spending with regional businesses. An economic-impact study cited by the Tribe put that contribution at about $251.7 million annually.
Federal agencies had previously confirmed the Leggett property could host gaming. The land has been held in trust since 2001, and tribal membership approved the location in September 2025.
The federal status stands in contrast with another current tribal gaming dispute. In California, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians sued the Interior Department on August 7 after officials reversed their position on gaming eligibility for roughly 160 acres in Vallejo.
Interior had approved that property in January 2025 as “restored lands” under federal gaming law, using broader readings of “occupancy” and “vicinity”. After another review, the department reversed course July 30. Scotts Valley called that decision “arbitrary, capricious, contrary to law, unsupported by the administrative record” and said it was “compelled to suspend gaming operations” at its Class II facility. The tribe had pursued a temporary “preview casino” while the dispute continued.
In Leggett, meanwhile, the temporary casino is operating while construction moves ahead. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe called its membership celebration “a new chapter” as it prepared to welcome the wider public.
Featured image: Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas via Facebook
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