{"id":301,"date":"2026-06-04T22:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T22:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=301"},"modified":"2026-06-04T22:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T22:09:19","slug":"juneaus-first-tribal-casino-soft-opens-on-douglas-island-amid-lingering-legal-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=301","title":{"rendered":"Juneau\u2019s first tribal casino soft opens on Douglas Island amid lingering legal questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

After years of planning, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska soft-opened a casino on Douglas Island this week. It\u2019s Juneau\u2019s first casino.<\/p>\n

Read more 5 Anchorage residents injured in moose encounters during calving season<\/a><\/p>\n

\nAmber Forrester sat at the end of a long row of electric slot machines, pressing a bright white spin button on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nShe was at Tlingit and Haida\u2019s new Two Coppers Casino on Fish Creek Road. It\u2019s the first and only casino of its kind in Juneau, and one of very few operating in the state. Forrester is a tribal citizen who casually games when she visits the Lower 48. She said it\u2019s about time Tlingit and Haida cashes in on the economic benefits gaming can bring to communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOther casinos and tribes have proven the economic benefit of being able to have gaming and be able to take that funding and put it into schools, community service, helping our elders,\u201d Forrester said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to U.S. Census data, after Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, economic conditions for Indigenous people on reservations improved significantly in the following decades. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribe-owned casino revenue is required to support tribal economic development and welfare.<\/p>\n

\nHowever, very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven\u2019t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48. Many, like Tlingit and Haida, have sought to assert authority over Native allotments \u2014 like this one \u2014 owned by individual tribal citizens.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThey\u2019ve already proven that it works, and we\u2019re really kind of late in all of that, because this has been going on for decades, and now for our tribe to finally be able to take advantage of the opportunity is tremendous. It\u2019s really important,\u201d Forrester said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Loud pop music and rows of 100 bright neon electric slot machines invite patrons into the building. The casino offers Class II gaming, which covers things like pull tabs, bingo and slot-style electronic machines. It doesn\u2019t cover games like poker or blackjack, and it doesn\u2019t serve alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about this,\u201d said Chalyee \u00c9esh Richard Peterson, Tlingit and Haida\u2019s president.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sitting at one of the many slot machines on Wednesday afternoon, he said the opening of the casino signifies a major step toward economic self-sufficiency and sovereignty for the tribe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity, you know, an expression of our sovereignty, but also I think it\u2019s a great economic opportunity for not only the tribe, but for people who want to work here,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe casino is located not far from Eaglecrest Ski Area on Douglas. It\u2019s just a small piece of a Native allotment owned by tribal citizens who lease it to Tlingit and Haida.<\/p>\n

Rumors of the tribe developing something on that property have been talked about for years. Last August, the tribe confirmed with local media that it was building the casino, but did not share an opening date at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Shortly after, however, in September, the U.S. Department of the Interior that gave Tlingit and Haida \u2014 and other tribes in Alaska \u2014 legal jurisdiction over Alaska Native allotments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, it was thought the change would put the casino in jeopardy. The withdrawal marked a return to decades of precedent. Federal and state officials in Alaska have long said that land allotments given to individual tribal members in Alaska were not considered \u201cIndian Country.\u201d Therefore, they are not under tribal jurisdiction and cannot be home to federally regulated gaming halls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHowever, according to Peterson, that isn\u2019t the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe legality is on our side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\nHe said Tlingit and Haida\u2018s lawyers reviewed the legal opinion and believe it does not impact the tribe\u2019s ability to open and operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe have jurisdiction here. It\u2019s a family allotment, we worked through (U.S. Department of the) Interior and NIGC \u2014 that\u2019s never changed. So, we\u2019re not doing anything illegal,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But whether that holds true remains to be seen. According to the released in September, Tlingit and Haida\u2019s approval for gaming needs to be reevaluated in accordance with the revocation. But as of now, the National Indian GamingCommission hasn\u2019t done so.<\/p>\n

Other tribes in Alaska, like the Native Village of Eklutna, are similarly operating casinos on Native allotments in a state of legal limbo. Eklutna is in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit with the State of Alaska, which shut down the casino last year, arguing the state maintains primary jurisdiction over Native allotments. Despite that, Eklutna continues to operate and is expanding its operations.<\/p>\n

\nPeterson said while he hopes the state doesn\u2019t sue Tlingit and Haida, he\u2019s not counting on it. The Alaska Department of Law did not immediately respond to KTOO\u2019s question asking the state\u2019s position on the casino\u2019s opening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere\u2019s nothing without risk. You can do anything, and somebody may challenge you,\u201d he said. \u201cThe state of Alaska, unfortunately, their track record is suing tribes. Their track record is also not winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nPeterson said, despite the legal challenges that may be on the horizon, he\u2019s excited. He said the casino scratches the surface of what he envisions for the property.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI would love to see us do a nice small hotel, and kind of like a day spa situation,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe you want to bring your partner up and have a nice weekend, you know, get pampered a little bit \u2014 those kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nHe said the tribe plans to feed off the large number of cruise ship passengers and crew that visit Juneau, along with residents and independent travelers, to generate revenue at the casino and reinvest it in essential tribal programs and services.<\/p>\n

The casino is still in a \u201csoft-open\u201d phase and there\u2019s still more work to be done at the site \u2014 like getting running water and paving the large dirt parking lot. Peterson said the tribe plans to officially open its doors on July 1. <\/p>\n

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Copyright 2026 KTOO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven\u2019t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48. Many, like Tlingit and Haida, have sought to assert authority over Native allotments \u2014 like this one \u2014 owned by individual tribal citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nJuneau\u2019s first tribal casino soft opens on Douglas Island amid lingering legal questions - Alaska Moving Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=301\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Juneau\u2019s first tribal casino soft opens on Douglas Island amid lingering legal questions - Alaska Moving Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven\u2019t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48. 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