Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/21pdf/20-493_jgko.pdf
Page Number: 30.0

6 

YSLETA DEL SUR PUEBLO v. TEXAS 

ROBERTS, C. J., dissenting 

Tribe.  The  court  held  that  through  the  Restoration  Act, 
“Congress—and  the  Tribe—intended  for  Texas’  gaming
laws and regulations to operate as surrogate federal law on 
the Tribe’s reservation in Texas.”  Id., at 1334.  The Tribe 
was thus required to follow all of Texas’s gaming rules un-
less  it  could  persuade  Congress  to  repeal  the  Restoration 
Act.  We denied certiorari.  514 U. S. 1016 (1995).

For more than 25 years, this straightforward interpreta-
tion of the Restoration Act held.  Yet the Tribe continually
pushed  the  Act’s  limits,  resulting  in  numerous  successful
requests for injunctive relief from Texas to enforce its gam-
ing laws.  See, e.g., 955 F. 3d 408, 412 (CA5 2020).  In sev-
eral instances, federal courts had to hold tribal officials in 
contempt for disregarding injunctions.  Ibid. 

The present litigation traces back to 2016.  After a Dis-
trict  Court  enjoined  illegal  “ ‘sweepstakes’ ”  games  being
conducted by the Pueblo, the Tribe announced it would be 
“ ‘transitioning  to  bingo.’ ”    Ibid.  As  noted,  Texas  outlaws 
almost all gambling, though it does permit charitable bingo
activities in certain limited situations. 

In 2017, Texas inspected the Pueblo’s Speaking Rock En-
tertainment Center to determine whether it was complying
with state law.  The answer appeared to be “no.”  Slot ma-
chines are outlawed in Texas, as are “gambling device ver-
sions  of bingo.”    Tex.  Penal  Code Ann.  §47.01(4)(A)  (West 
2011); see also §47.02(a)(3) (West Supp. 2021).  Yet inside 
the Tribe’s casino, officials found more than 2,000 machines 
that looked exactly like “ ‘Las-Vegas-style slot machines.’ ”  
955  F. 3d,  at  412.    Players  press  a  button,  graphics  spin,
noise  plays,  and  eventually  players  learn  whether  they 
have won or lost.  The machines are accessible 24 hours a 
day and, for added effect, are emblazoned with names like
“Big Texas Payday,” “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas,” and 
“Lucky  Duck.”    2019  WL  639971,  *5  (WD  Tex.,  Feb.  14, 
2019).  Although  the  machines  resemble  slot  machines  in
every relevant respect, the Tribe insisted they were a form