No Las Vegas-style Casino Gambling in Eagle Pass, at Least for Now
By Kimberly Reeves, 2:11PM, Fri. Aug. 24, 2007
A federal appeals court has stopped – at least for now – the Kickapoo tribe’s efforts to add Las Vegas-style casino gambling to its reservation in Eagle Pass along the Mexican border. The Department of the Interior had given tentative approval for Class III casino gaming early this year over the objections of the state. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals called those federal administrative procedures invalid, saying the procedures failed to safeguard the rights of the state in approving a tribal-state compact. While federal law does take precedence in the approval of gambling on Indian reservations, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act does give states a significant subordinate role in the decision. The Kickapoo tribe has been seeking high-stakes gambling on its reservation since 1995. Texas, which has yet to pass casino gambling in the state, has consistently opposed that measure.
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Richard Whittaker, Aug. 25, 2017
Richard Whittaker, July 7, 2016
Oct. 20, 2022
Richard Whittaker, Feb. 23, 2009
March 27, 2024
Feb. 17, 2022
Courts, U.S.-Mexico Border, Kickapoo, casino gambling, Eagle Pass, Department of the Interior, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
