Alaska tribal casino plan thwarted
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A federal judge has reportedly ruled against the Native Village of Eklutna's plan to bring a small casino to tribal lands 20 miles north of downtown Anchorage. Alaska has only one formal tribal reservation, the Metlakatla Indian Community on sparsely populated Annette Island. The rest of its indigenous lands are governed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.
The U.S. Department of the Interior ruled in 2018 that the Native Village of Eklutna did not qualify as ‘Indian lands’ under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The tribe filed a lawsuit with the District of Columbia District Court for the next year in order to get permission to bring Las Vegas-style gambling to an eight-acre site near the small community of Chugiak.
The U.S. Department of the Interior ruled that the Native Village of Eklutna did not have jurisdiction over the plot for the envisioned casino even though the land is owned by members of that tribe. The government of Alaska joined the case as a defendant early last year.
Alaska tribal casino plan thwarted. Tribal President for the Native Village of Eklutna, Aaron Leggett, is disappointed and wants to review his tribe's options.
