The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe has broken ground on Naskila Resort & Casino in Leggett, Texas, marking the state's first resort-style gaming property. The project received federal approval and will occupy a footprint equivalent to 12 football fields.
The resort will house 366 hotel rooms across multiple stories, a resort-style pool complex, and event facilities. Its location between Dallas and Houston positions it to capture traffic from both major metro areas. The property represents a significant shift in Texas gaming, a state that has historically resisted large-scale casino development despite its population size and gaming appetite.
Texas poker players have long traveled to Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Las Vegas for quality tournament and cash games. Naskila changes that equation. The property's size and amenities suggest serious poker ambitions. A Vegas-style resort of this scale typically includes high-stakes poker rooms with multiple tables and tournaments. If the tribe structures its gaming offerings around poker, Texas players get a domestic alternative to out-of-state travel.
The approval process took years. Federal recognition gave the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe sovereign nation status, unlocking gaming rights that standard Texas gaming laws prohibit. This is tribal gaming, not state gaming. It operates under different legal frameworks than commercial casinos would face. That distinction matters for poker specifically. Tribal casinos operate under tribal gaming commissions, not state regulators, which can mean different rules around game selection, rake structures, and tournament formats.
Details on the poker room remain sparse. The resort emphasizes hotels and pools in early announcements, typical for properties trying to attract resort visitors rather than just gamblers. Still, any 366-room property in a two-market region will want gaming revenue. Poker generates that reliably.
The real test comes when the poker room opens. Naskila faces immediate competition from established properties in Oklahoma and Louisiana