Eklutna Tribe Wins Legal Battle Over Alaska Casino, But More Challenges Remain

^{In Anchorage, Alaska, the Eklutna Tribe’s new gaming hall has found legal success in the face of legal opposition against tribal sovereignty. (Photo: Inge Johnsson / Alamy)}

The Eklutna Tribe has successfully fended off the first of two legal challenges to its new casino outside of Anchorage, Alaska, as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by property owners near the site of the gambling hall.

The Eklutna opened the Chin’an Gaming Hall in February 2025 after gaining the approval of the US Interior Department under Joe Biden’s presidential administration.

Judge Dismisses Argument Over Tribal Legitimacy

Property owners near the Birchwood location argued that the casino would impact the rural nature of their neighborhood, bringing unwanted traffic and noise to the area. 

In addition, neighbors attacked the Native Village of Eklutna’s status as a federal recognized tribe, a status it earned in 1993 when Assistant Secretary of Interior Ada Deer included it – and many other Native American groups – in a list of Alaska tribes. 

“Congress has never allowed a middle-ranking employee of the Interior Department to just wave a magic wand and create 200 Indian tribes, either in Alaska or any other place,” attorney Don Mitchell said on behalf of the property owners attempting to shut down the casino.

However, that argument has fallen flat several times over the last three decades, and there have been no successful efforts to invalidate the 1993 decision. On June 27, US District Judge James Robart added to that precedent, saying that the lawsuit against the Eklutna and their casino should be dismissed.

On Monday, July 7, Mitchell filed a motion to reconsider his ruling, but that motion was rejected. According to Mitchell, the neighbors of the casino could still choose to appeal the decision.

State of Alaska Challenging Interior Department Decision

But while the tribe came out as the clear winner in this lawsuit, it still faces a potentially tougher test in court. 

In February, the state of Alaska filed suit against the federal Department of the Interior in an attempt to overturn the Biden administration’s decision to reverse a previous decision that said Native allotments in Alaska were not considered “Indian Country.” The state’s lawsuit called the decision “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not in accordance with law.”

In filing the lawsuit, Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor said this was a battle over jurisdiction, not the Alaskan gaming industry.

“This challenge isn’t about gaming,” Taylor said in a statement. “This is about jurisdiction over lands. We are asking a court to reaffirm what it has already said – the State maintains primary jurisdiction over Alaska Native allotments.”

Regardless of the outcome of the state’s challenge, tribal legal experts say that lawsuits such as these cause harm to all Native American groups.

“Time and time again, the law is clear in these areas that continue to be challenged,” attorney Michelle Demmert told Alaska radio station KNBA. “If the argument was that the Eklutna tribe is not a tribe, there’s legal precedent. There’s federal law that says, ‘They are.’”

Currently, the Chin’an Gaming Hall operates out of a temporary facility offering only electronic games. Eklutna officials have expressed a desire to build a larger, permanent facility to help fund social and economic development programs for the tribe.