Naskila Casino continues to deliver a profound economic and employment benefit to Polk County and East Texas, according to a new report commissioned by the Texas Forest Country Partnership.
The study by the economic analysis firm TXP found that Naskila Casino – the electronic bingo facility run by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas on its reservation near Livingston – delivers an annual economic impact of $251.7 million. A similar study released in 2023 found that Naskila Casino’s annual economic impact at the time was $212 million.
Naskila Casino, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is the second-largest employer in Polk County. More than 1,000 permanent local jobs (collectively paying $34.5 million in annual wages) are attributable to the operational impact of Naskila Casino. The facility accounts for more than 15% of the private sector wages paid in Polk County, the new study found.
“Naskila Casino creates jobs, attracts visitors, and generates significant revenue for our region,” Tanya Dora, Executive Director of the Texas Forest Country Partnership, an economic development organization serving the 12-county region of Deep East Texas, said. “All of us who care about economic development in Deep East Texas are grateful for the success of Naskila Casino and the partnership of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.”
This is the fourth report that the Texas Forest Country Partnership has commissioned to study the casino’s impact. The revenue generated by Naskila Casino has increased steadily since the original study showed an annual economic impact of $140 million in 2018.
The latest report, which studies revenue generated in 2024, also notes that:
“When the fact that more than 94% of Naskila’s customers come from outside of Polk County is factored in, it is clear that Naskila is an economic engine that benefits every stakeholder in the region,” the report states.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas opened Naskila Casino in the summer of 2016 with 365 Class II electronic bingo machines. In August 2017, Naskila doubled in size. The facility now features more than 950 Class II electronic bingo machines, an 88-seat restaurant, a café and retail offerings. Meanwhile, the tribe’s newly renovated Ischoopa Travel Center reopened in December 2024 with 81 gaming machines.
Beyond the benefits to those directly employed, revenues from Naskila provide funding on the reservation for scholarships, housing, a health clinic, day care center and retail shops that serve the tribe and the surrounding community.
“Our tribe is proud of Naskila Casino’s growth and the widespread benefit it creates for our neighbors in Deep East Texas,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Cecilia Flores said. “Our great employees and guests have made Naskila Casino a true success story over the past decade.”
The Texas Forest Country Partnership (TFCP), formerly known as the Pineywoods Economic Partnership and the Deep East Texas Development Association, was founded in 1960 as a non-profit economic development organization. The TFCP is the leader of all economic development efforts across the East Texas region. Its primary mission is to enrich the economic prosperity of the region through marketing, business development and advocacy.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has the oldest reservation in Texas, located on approximately 10,200 acres near Livingston. The tribe is a fully functioning sovereign government with a full array of health and human services, including law enforcement and emergency services. There are more than 1,400 members, about half of whom live on the reservation. The tribe is governed by an elected tribal council and advised by the principal chief and second chief.
