Eklutna to Construct New Bingo Hall in Alaska Thanks to Federal Ruling 

Alaska has finally allowed an electronic bingo hall proposal by the Native Village of Eklutna, a local tribal organization, to move forward. This marks a huge milestone for the tribe, which has been requesting such approval for over two decades.

A Major Development for Alaskan Gaming

The Eklutna’s plan was approved by the Interior Department’s National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) in June, following previous unsuccessful attempts to get the bingo property permitted. The Trump administration, for example, was the latest to shoot down the proposal six years ago, providing another setback to the tribal organization.

The federal government, however, has now signed the proposal into law, allowing the Native Village of Eklutna to construct an electronic bingo hall on its land. The new property would be built on a plot of land 20 miles away from Anchorage.

The new bingo hall would be a major development, considering the gambling-unfriendly nature of Alaska. The state currently allows no casinos or betting and only permits bingo at a handful of charity locations and a single tribal hall.

The Eklutna electronic bingo hall would be the second such property in the Last Frontier. The other one, for context, is operated by the Metlakatla Indian Community.

The Tribe Desperately Needs a New Economic Contributor

The Eklutna had quite some difficulties getting its property approved since local natives have a different legal status from tribal nations in other states. Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), tribal entities are awarded land and financial compensation but are characterized as private corporations rather than sovereign nations.

This limited sovereignty has been a major setback to Alaskan tribes, which are unable to offer gambling since they do not have governmental authority over their land. The Eklutna tried to dispute that in 2018 but was shot down by an administrative decision. The tribe eventually launched a lawsuit against the Interior Department to no avail.

Luckily for the Native Village of Eklutna, the Interior Department Solicitor Robert Anderson said in November 2022 that the ANCSA did not prohibit the federal government from taking land into trust for local tribal entities. Anderson later ruled that tribal authority should apply to land allotted to native organizations provided it was a part of the tribal community.

This paved the way for a new bingo venue, potentially heralding a new era of bingo gaming in Alaska. Eklutna representatives said that there are still a few challenges to consider but are happy that the major hurdles have been cleared. What remains is an environmental review and legal challenges from state officials who were not happy with Anderson’s ruling.

The tribe, which has approximately 300 members, is currently in dire need of housing and needs finance in order to construct a gathering center for tribe members. Proceeds from the bingo hall are expected to spur economic development not only for the tribe but for the Anchorage area as a whole.