Online Casinos, Sports Betting, Gambling Reviews

It's nothing fancy, but the state's only legal casino has become a symbol of the hopeful future and sad recent past of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. The empty shell of a replacement building looms next to the Lucky Eagle Casino, waiting for an impending infusion of cash to complete it and hasten the tribe's recovery from years of financial and political blunders.

In the meantime, the frumpy, cramped interior of the Lucky Eagle sometimes can't accommodate the crowds that show up day and night at the Kickapoo Reservation, seven miles southeast of Eagle Pass near the Rio Grande. The casino gets so packed that players must wait for turns and managers are reluctant to boost attendance with advertising.

Yet, it's been tempting to think of expansion, especially now that Texas lawmakers have rejected efforts to allow wagering at the state's two other reservations for the Tiguas in El Paso and the Alabama-Coushatta near Livingston. Texas Kickapoos have federal tribal status that allows gambling, while the other tribes have more restrictive charters.

With their unique and lucrative situation unlikely to change for several years, the Kickapoos are maneuvering to capitalize on their luck. They're hoping that by year's end, the new 100,000-square-foot facility with room for boxing and other events will be raking in cash to repay tribal debts and improve members' humble living conditions.

"We're shooting for December," said tribal attorney Gloria Hernandez, acknowledging that the existing Lucky Eagle needs to spread its wings.

"If we market it even more, we're going to have a lot of people upset because it's at full capacity now," she said.

Plans also envision an expansion of the gambling conducted here. With its Class II permit from the National Indian Gaming Commission, the tribe offers blackjack, poker, about 340 pull-tab slots and bingo. Dreaming of a bonanza, the tribe has revived its request for a Class III permit that would allow a wider array of games, from craps to off-track betting.

The tribe's push to improve the casino and reservation comes less than a year after it was rocked by turmoil that culminated with the 2002 ouster of tribal leaders and the casino's former manager, Isidro Garza Jr., who was not a tribe member. With power shifted to a new faction, tribe officials last week said recovery is not only necessary but within reach.

Signs of a comeback are at times subtle, like the fact that three Kickapoos just graduated from Eagle Pass High School the most anyone could remember in a single school year and are entitled to tribal scholarships.

The catharsis also can be painful. In May, a judge's ruling castigated the tribe for actions of the previous regime that launched an ambitious yet unlawful plan to acquire neighboring land.

Indeed, the Kickapoos could long be paying a financial and public relations price for their former leaders' deeds, whose full cost to the tribe has not been disclosed. The ousted officials also face consequences. Several federal agencies, including the IRS and gaming regulators, continue to investigate the former officials amid allegations of lavish spending and lax casino oversight.

Garza, who has no formal accusations pending, has denied any wrongdoing during his tenure, saying he operated with full tribal council support and within the bounds of his employment contract. But tribe members who banished him last year claimed he misused casino proceeds and steamrolled his critics.

At least one lawsuit is pending against the previous regime. It seeks $400,000 in compensation for tree destruction and other damage resulting from the unsuccessful attempt to obtain squatter's rights on a neighbor's land, which was coveted as part of a now-abandoned plan to build a golf course near the casino.

The 2001 land grab, which also cost the tribe nearly $90,000 in attorney fees, came at a time when the tribe gave wide leeway to Garza. Now the casino is run by a tribe member who responds to a five-member council. A tribal gaming commission was launched as well, along with a revamped tribal court to settle any future leadership disputes.

In October 2002, when tribe members said their complaints of casino mismanagement and other reservation woes were ignored, the tribe resorted to a traditional "vote of conscience" to fire tribal leaders. Though change was resisted by those in power, and federal authorities were slow to accept the vote, it was eventually recognized as the will of an overwhelming majority among the tribe's nearly 500 adult members.

The turmoil forced a brief closure of the casino, but it reopened around Thanksgiving and has been humming ever since, said Lucky Eagle spokeswoman Judith Canales.

"We're successful. We're gaining income. At the same time, we're having to ensure that what happened in the past no longer will be a threat to what the casino is about," Canales said.

For example, in her role as human resources director, she said hiring for the casino's 350-member staff is based more on qualifications now than it was in the past.

"We are now following all (hiring) rules and regulations as required by the U.S. government," she added, including the completion of background checks that weren't always conducted by the previous management. Tribal members, who make up less than half the casino's work force, continue to get preference in hiring, she noted.

Canales said the tribe has an improving rapport with federal regulators who are helping to ensure the casino's integrity.

"They understand the situation that occurred here, and they want to help us succeed," she said. "We have tremendous goals for the tribe, and the casino can be a very successful enterprise. But to be able to keep doors open, you must remain in compliance."

"The games themselves are part of that review," Canales said, insisting that gamblers can be confident of a fair shake.

Canales said Eagle Pass hopes to cash in on casino-bound traffic, which includes buses arriving daily from Mexico and San Antonio. And there are fresh signs that Maverick County is willing to improve the washboard roads leading to the casino.

The tribe is not required to disclose its casino income, but a 2002 investigative report by Time magazine estimated its annual gross revenue at $25 million. Unlike some tribes, the Kickapoos do not receive direct cash payments from the casino, though proceeds pay for health care and housing and the tribe's debt service.

Even so, the tribe is ready to take on more debt to finish the new facility, which could produce enough cash flow to enable the tribe "to move into other enterprises," Canales said.

"It's only fair that the tribe be the No. 1 beneficiary of the efforts here at the casino," Canales said.

- home - previous - next - gr1 gr2 gr3 gr4 gr5 gr6 gr7 gr8 gr9 gr10 gr11 gr12 gr13 gr14 gr15 gr16 gr17 gr18 gr19 gr20 gr21 gr22 gr23 gr24 gr25 gr26 gr27 gr28 gr29 gr30 gr31 gr32 gr33 gr34 gr35 gr36 gr37 gr38 gr39 gr40 gr41 gr42 gr43 gr44 g45 gr46 gr47 gr48 gr49 gr50 gr51 gr52 gr53 gr54 gr55 gr56 gr57 gr58 gr59 gr60 gr61 gr62 gr63 gr64 gr65 gr66 gr67 gr68 gr69 gr70 gr71 gr72 gr73 gr74 gr75 gr76 gr77 gr78 gr79 gr80 Gambling1 Gambling2 Gambling3 Gambling4 Gambling5 Gambling6 Gambling7 Gambling8 Gambling9 Gambling10 Gambling11 Gambling12 Gambling13 Gambling14 Gambling15 Gambling16 Gambling17 Gambling18 Gambling19 Gambling 20 Gambling21 Gambling22 Gambling23 Gambling24 Gambling 25

Online Casinos 1 Online Casinos 2 Online Casinos 3 Online Casinos 4 Online Casinos 5 Online Casinos 6 Online Casinos 7 Online Casinos 8 Online Casinos 9 Online Casinos 10 Online Casinos 11 Online Casinos 12 Online Casinos 13 Online Casinos 14 Online Casinos 15 Online Casinos 16 Online Casinso 17 Online Casinos 18 Online Casinos 19 Online Casinos 20 Online Casinos 21 Online Casinos 22 Online Casinos 23 Online Casinos 24 Online Casinos 25 Online Casinos 26 Online Casinos 27 Online Casinos 28 Online Casinos 29 Online Casinos 30 Online Casinos 31 Online Casinos 32 Online Casinos 33 Online Casinos 34 Online Casinos 35 Online Casinos 36 Online Casinos 37 Online Casinos 38 Online Casinos 39 Online Casinos 30 Online Casinos 31 Online Casinos 32 Online Casinos 33 Online Casinos 34 Online Casinos 35 Online Casinos 36 Online Casinos 37 Online Casinos 38 Online Casinos 39 Online Casinos 40 Online Casinos 41 Online Casinos 42 Online Casinos 43 Online Casinos 44 Online Casinos 45 Online Casinos 36 Online Casinos 47 Online Casinos 48 Online Casinos 49 Online Casinos 50 Online Casinos 51 Online Casinos 52 Online Casinos 53 Online Casinos 54 Online Casinos 55 Online Casinos 56 Online Casinos 57 Online Casinos 58 Online Casinos 59 Online Casinos 69 Online Casinos 70 Online Casinos 71 Online Casinos 72 Online Casinos 73 Online Casinos 74 Online Casino 75 Online Casinos 76 Online Casinos 77 Online Casinos 78 Online Casinos 79 Online Casinos 80 Online Casinos 81 Online Casinos 82 Online Casinos 83 Online Casinos 84 Online Casinos 85 Online Casinos 86 Online Casinos 87 Online Casinos 88 Online Casinos 89 Online Casinos 90 Online Casinos 91 Online Casinos 92 Online Casinos 93 Online Casinos 94 Online Casinos 95 Online Casinos 96 Online Casinos 97 Online Casinos 98 Online Casinos 99 Online Casinos 100