Timeline of El Paso's Gaming Fight: the Tigua Battle for Speaking Rock Bingo
In 1999, then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn filed suit to padlock Speaking Rock, arguing that the tribe was operating unapproved slot machines, blackjack, and roulette. Federal courts sided with the state. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in 1994 that the Restoration Act barred all gambling not explicitly allowed under Texas law, establishing a binding precedent that handcuffed the tribe for the next 28 years.
In February 2002, the Tiguas complied with a federal injunction and shut Speaking Rock down. The economic impact hit the reservation immediately. Over 700 tribal and non-tribal workers lost their jobs overnight. Tribal healthcare stipends, elder support services, and university scholarship programs dried up as revenues evaporated.
The tribe attempted multiple reopenings over the ensuing decade. They transitioned from house-banked slots to sweepstakes kiosks, and later to charitable bingo halls and electronic paper-minding terminals. Each time, the Texas Attorney General’s office returned to federal court with contempt motions. Fines mounted. In 2019, the Fifth Circuit reaffirmed its hardline stance, ruling once again that any gaming activity on Tigua land had to follow every technical line of the Texas Penal Code and state administrative regulations.
