Speaking Rock Entertainment Center

Overview

Speaking Rock Entertainment Center is operated by the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (Tigua Tribe of Texas) in El Paso — one of the longest-running legal battles in the history of American tribal gaming. The Tigua are a Pueblo people whose ancestors were brought to the El Paso area in 1680 following the Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico. They have maintained continuous habitation at Ysleta del Sur (the oldest community in Texas) for over 340 years.

Speaking Rock originally opened in 1993 but was ordered closed by Texas and federal courts in 2002 following a legal ruling that Texas could prohibit tribal gaming under their federal restoration act. After years of closure and legal challenges, a 2021 federal circuit court ruling overturned the earlier decisions and allowed the Tigua to reopen Speaking Rock with Class II gaming machines. The saga of Speaking Rock is one of the most complex legal narratives in American Indian gaming law.

Gaming

Class II bingo-based gaming machines and limited entertainment gaming. The facility is significantly smaller than Kickapoo Lucky Eagle but serves the El Paso metropolitan area's 2+ million residents who would otherwise need to travel to Ruidoso, New Mexico or Albuquerque for legal casino gaming.

Getting There

Located at 122 S Old Pueblo Rd, El Paso, TX 79907, in the Ysleta community of El Paso. Free parking available.