The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas is building a new Naskila Casino Resort, with eventual plans for a 336-room hotel, thousands of electronic bingo machines and 35K SF of event space in the small East Texas town of Leggett.

The tribe broke ground Thursday on Phase 1 of the project, which will include “an expansive gaming floor and several key resort amenities,” the tribe said in a statement to Bisnow. The resort's long-term vision also includes a hotel and resort-style pool complex, but the development schedule for those is still being finalized.

The final product will span 685K SF. The groundbreaking marks the growth of the Naskila Casino on the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe’s reservation near Livingston, about 90 minutes north of Houston, which opened in 2016.

The first phase of Naskila Casino Resort will have about 3,400 electronic bingo machines, along with nonsmoking, smoking and high-limit VIP casino areas, restaurants, bars, lounges and food hall concepts, plus 35K SF of event space, including a grand ballroom that can accommodate 1,000 guests, according to a press release.

“Naskila Casino Resort will create new opportunities, attract visitors from across the region and deliver lasting benefits for the Tribe, our employees, and surrounding communities for generations to come,” Naskila Casino General Manager Keith Sherer said in a statement.

Phase 1 of the project is slated to open in late 2028. The project site is 95 acres of Alabama-Coushatta tribal land at 10450 U.S. Highway 59, which has a Livingston address but is part of the unincorporated community of Leggett.

JCJ Architecture is leading the project’s design, while Yates Construction is handling construction.

Later this summer, Naskila Casino will open Naskila Casino Leggett, a temporary gaming experience on the site of the planned development. The new 24-hour gaming facility will feature 300 electronic bingo machines, dedicated smoking and nonsmoking areas, and a 24-hour dining venue.

The tribe currently has about 1,000 electronic bingo machines across multiple gaming locations, including the Ischoopa Travel Center and Casino. That location and Naskila Casino in Livingston will continue to operate when the Leggett location opens.

“The future casino resort represents the next chapter in our growth, and an expansion of what guests have come to enjoy,” Naskila said in a statement. “The Livingston location will remain an important part of our operations as we continue building on that success.”

Naskila Casino has created more than 1,000 permanent local jobs and has an annual economic impact of $251.7M, according to a study commissioned by the Texas Forest Country Partnership.

Gambling is still largely illegal in Texas, though certain activities, including horse race betting, bingo games and the lottery, are permissible.

What would eventually become the Naskila Casino first opened as Texas’ third tribal gaming casino in 2001 but was shut down by state regulators after less than a year.

After years of attempts to negotiate with the state were rebuffed, Texas tribes got permission from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2015 to reopen with electronic bingo games, which resemble slot machines, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Texas sued the tribes, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton agreed to allow the Alabama-Coushatta tribe to operate a casino in the meantime, on the condition that his office could inspect the machines.

The legal battle reached the Supreme Court. A 2021 decision ruled that states could not impose regulations on reservation gaming, which is authorized and overseen by the federal government, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Federal authorities approved the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas’ request for the new casino resort in Leggett in September.