As state lawmakers consider expanding gaming options in Texas, Native American tribal leaders who operate the state’s largest casino are sounding the alarm, warning they would lose most of their customers and face possible bankruptcy under the leading plan to bring Vegas-style resorts to the state.
The prospect of competing with Las Vegas Sands, Caesars and other titans of the casino industry has long loomed over the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, which first opened the doors to its gaming operation in 1996. Set along the Rio Grande on the tribe’s Eagle Pass reservation, the Lucky Eagle Casino promptly brought the Kickapoos out of severe poverty, providing jobs for members who had toiled as migrant farm workers.
