Naskila Resort and Casino: Inside Texas's Biggest Tribal Casino Project

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has broken ground on Naskila Resort and Casino, a 685,000 square foot development in Leggett that will pair a 366-room hotel with roughly 3,400 electronic gaming machines when it opens in 2028. It is the most ambitious tribal casino project the state has ever seen, and it arrives just four years after a narrow 5 to 4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling saved the tribe's existing gaming hall from being shut down by Texas. A temporary gaming facility with 300-plus machines is slated to open in August 2026 while the permanent resort is built.

What is Naskila Resort and Casino?

Naskila Resort and Casino is a full-scale resort being developed by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas on a 95-acre site in Leggett, in Polk County. It sits about 73 miles north of Houston and roughly 200 miles southeast of Dallas, placing it within driving reach of one of the largest gambling-starved metropolitan populations in the United States. The complex is designed by JCJ Architecture, the firm behind Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

The project replaces and dramatically upsizes the tribe's current venue, Naskila Casino, which opened in 2016 about 10 miles away in Livingston and today runs roughly 835 electronic bingo machines. When finished, the new resort will be the size of about 12 football fields.

Key facts at a glance

• Location: Leggett, Polk County, East Texas, on US Highway 59, about 73 miles north of Houston.
• Developer: Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, with design by JCJ Architecture.
• Size: 685,000 square feet on a 95-acre site, roughly 12 football fields.
• Hotel: 366 rooms across a multi-story tower.
• Gaming: Approximately 3,400 electronic gaming machines, Class II only.
• Amenities: Resort-style pool complex, event and conference center, and a grand ballroom seating up to 1,000 guests.
• Groundbreaking: June 2026.
• Temporary facility: August 2026, with 300-plus machines.
• Full opening: Expected 2028.

How big is the new resort compared with today's casino?

The scale jump is the headline. The existing Naskila Casino operates around 835 machines and still draws close to one million visitors a year. The new resort is planned for roughly 3,400 machines, more than four times the current floor, plus the tribe's first hotel, pool complex and conference space. That transforms a regional day-trip bingo hall into an overnight destination that can compete for the Houston and Dallas leisure market.

Metric	Current Naskila Casino	New Naskila Resort and Casino
Location	Livingston, Texas	Leggett, Texas
Opened	2016	2028 (temporary hall August 2026)
Gaming machines	About 835	About 3,400
Hotel rooms	None	366
Footprint	Single gaming hall	685,000 sq ft, about 12 football fields
Annual visitors	About 1 million	Projected to grow substantially

What can you actually play there?

This is the detail that separates Naskila from a Las Vegas floor. Everything at the venue is Class II gaming, meaning electronic bingo-style machines, poker and non-banked card games. There is no roulette, no blackjack against the house and no traditional Class III slot machines. The distinction matters legally: Class II games are player-versus-player bingo derivatives that federal law treats differently from casino table games, and it is precisely that classification that has allowed the tribe to keep operating in a state as restrictive as Texas.

When will Naskila Resort and Casino open?

The tribe broke ground in June 2026. Rather than wait years for the full build, it plans to open a temporary gaming facility in August 2026, adjacent to the construction site, with more than 300 machines so it can keep serving customers and generating revenue throughout construction. The permanent resort, including the hotel and conference center, is expected to open in late 2028.

Why can a tribe open a casino in Texas at all?

Texas is one of the most anti-gambling states in the country. It has no commercial casinos, no legal online sports betting and no state lottery-run casino gaming. The Alabama-Coushatta operation exists because of federal Indian gaming law and a hard-won legal battle, not a change in Texas policy.

For years the state argued the tribe was bound by a 1987 federal restoration act that, in Texas's reading, subjected the reservation to all Texas gaming prohibitions. The tribe argued that federal law, specifically the framework governing gaming on tribal land, let it offer any gaming that Texas merely regulates rather than flatly bans. Because Texas regulates bingo rather than banning it outright, the tribe said its electronic bingo hall was lawful.

What did the Supreme Court decide?

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the tribes in Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. Texas, a companion fight that governed the Alabama-Coushatta's rights. In a 5 to 4 decision, the Court held that the restoration act only bars gaming activities that Texas prohibits entirely, and that the state cannot impose its detailed regulatory regime on tribal bingo. The ruling ended years of litigation in which Texas had repeatedly tried to close Naskila.

"The Supreme Court decision ended years of uncertainty for the tribe and for Naskila," said Ricky Sylestine, chairman of the Alabama-Coushatta tribal council.

That legal certainty is what made a nine-figure resort investment bankable. Without the 2022 win, no tribe would break ground on a project of this scale in a state that had spent a decade trying to switch the lights off.

What does it mean for the local economy?

The economic case is central to the tribe's messaging. The current Naskila operation already supports more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the Livingston area and generates about $34.5 million in annual wages, which the tribe says represents more than 15 percent of all private-sector wages in Polk County. The expansion is expected to multiply that footprint through construction jobs, hotel and hospitality roles, and visitor spending in surrounding towns.

"The end result of people coming here is that they stay in Livingston. They eat in Livingston," said Livingston Mayor Judy Cochran.

Who is leading the project?

The development is being driven by the Alabama-Coushatta tribal council, one of only three federally recognized tribes in Texas. At the groundbreaking, Vice-Chairwoman Nita Battise framed the moment as a milestone after years of legal threats.

"It's been a long way. We had all these obstacles going against us, but we are reminded that we are resilient people and we will move forward," said Nita Battise, vice-chairwoman of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe.

How does it fit into Texas's wider gambling debate?

Naskila's expansion lands as Texas continues to debate whether to authorize commercial casinos and legal sports betting, efforts that have repeatedly stalled in the state legislature. For now, the tribes operate in a separate lane governed by federal law rather than state law. A destination resort of this size, opening while Austin still bans commercial casinos, sharpens the contrast and gives casino operators eyeing a future Texas market a live example of the demand that already exists.

How does it compare with other Texas tribal casinos?

The Alabama-Coushatta are not alone. The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas runs the Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo operate Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso, both of which have leaned on the same federal legal framework. What makes the Naskila project stand out is the addition of a 366-room hotel and full resort amenities, a scale of hospitality build-out none of the state's tribal venues has attempted before.

What are the risks and open questions?

A project of this size carries execution risk. Construction timelines can slip, and the tribe is committing to a large fixed-cost build in a market where the legal landscape, while currently settled, has been contested for years. The Class II restriction also caps the product menu, so the resort must win on hospitality, scale and convenience rather than the table games available in Oklahoma and Louisiana casinos that already draw Texans across state lines. If Texas ever legalizes commercial casinos, the competitive picture could shift again.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Naskila Resort and Casino located?

In Leggett, Polk County, East Texas, on US Highway 59, about 73 miles north of Houston and roughly 200 miles southeast of Dallas.

When will it open?

A temporary gaming facility with more than 300 machines is planned for August 2026, and the full resort is expected to open in 2028.

How many rooms and machines will it have?

The resort is planned with a 366-room hotel and approximately 3,400 electronic gaming machines.

What kind of gambling is allowed?

Only Class II gaming, which covers electronic bingo-style machines, poker and non-banked card games. There are no house-banked table games such as blackjack or roulette.

Why is it legal when Texas bans casinos?

Because a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling confirmed that federal Indian gaming law lets the tribe offer gaming that Texas regulates rather than fully prohibits, such as bingo, on tribal land.

Updated July 2026. This report draws on statements from the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas and reporting by CasinoBeats, Yogonet, CDC Gaming and GGB Magazine.

Sources: CasinoBeats, Yogonet, GGB Magazine.