Anchorage gaming hall on Eklutna land expands, while still facing legal questions

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Chin’an Gaming Hall, which sits in Birchwood on the outskirts of Anchorage, will be adding nearly 5,000 square feet of space, 89 new gaming machines, and dining — all despite ongoing lawsuits involving the gaming hall.

Gaming hall staff say the expansion is thanks to widespread public support, saying that there are often waiting times of 20-30 minutes to get into the gaming hall. At this time, it is one of only 3 gaming halls like it in Alaska, staff said.

“The customer response to our gaming hall has been huge,” said General Manager Ryan Walker. “And we quickly identified that we needed to expand.”

At an opening ceremony on Thursday, gaming hall staff and tribal members celebrated the new expansion

“This is a historic day for the native village of Eklutna.” said Aaron Leggett, President of the Native Village of Eklutna. “It’s simply incredible that less than two years after opening, we’ve been able to grow the Chanan Gaming Hall into what we’re celebrating here today.”

The gaming hall opened in February of 2025 and has operated for a little over a year now. Walker said they broke ground on the new expansion in February 2026.

The expansion includes a bar, which will be fully stocked once the hall gets their liquor license. The gaming hall will also be hosting a food truck called “The Fireweed Grill” with a full menu. Guests will be able to eat on a covered and heated patio, which is also a part of the expansion

Due to their Class 2 gaming license, the hall is not allowed table games or sports betting, they only have gaming machines. Leggett says they’ve paid upwards of 18 million in jackpots.

“The Chin’an Gaming Hall has empowered the native village of Eklutna to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to important causes in our community,” Leggett said.

They have contributed over $100,000 to a variety of charities and non-profits, according to Leggett. Those organizations include the Mountain View Community Center, the YWCA, Alaska Public Media, the First Alaskans Institute, and the Municipality of Anchorage to aid displaced victims of Typhoon Halong.

Still the legality of the gaming hall is up for debate.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to settle our lawsuits and be able to open our permanent facility here in the near future.”

Currently, the Native Village of Eklutna and the gaming hall face two lawsuits. One was filed by neighbors in the Birchwood area who are concerned about what the gaming hall could mean for the community.

A resolution passed by the Birchwood Community Council on April 8, 2026, states: “Birchwood residents continue to have substantial concerns regarding traffic, public safety, drainage and water-table impacts, neighborhood character, Peters Creek watershed impacts, and the burden on local services and infrastructure.”

Council Chair Debbie Ossiander said since the gaming hall first opened over a year ago, traffic in the area has increased “dramatically.”

“Bad driving has increased dramatically, scary driving and littering,” Ossiander said in an interview while speaking on behalf of the council. “All those things are now visible. And the fear is that if there is alcohol down there, it’s going to be worse. That road has no shoulders. There’s no way to walk or ride a bicycle down there at all except in the road.”

Community members are worried that drivers might endanger children at bus stops along Birchwood Loop Road on which the gaming hall sits, Ossiander said, and what the addition of alcohol might mean.

“So, there’s fear,” Ossiander said. “Kids standing out in the dark combined with people who’ve been drinking heavily and late at night.”

Ossiander also said there’s concerns that further expansion could impact nearby Peters Creek or contaminate the water table. Though she said the community was “pleased” that Walker recently came to their Community Council to update them on the expansion.

“That’s been a real lack in the past. He hadn’t showed and hadn’t showed, but this time they came, and he came with his attorney,” Ossiander said. “And so, he was able to answer some questions. The most questions center, of course, around the projected liquor license and what it would mean.”

At the same time, the gaming hall faces another lawsuit from the State of Alaska, regarding the legal jurisdiction of the land. The Alaska Attorney General’s office wrote the following in a statement on Friday:

“The State’s litigation on this issue is currently stayed pending an appeal to the Ninth Circuit. Additionally, the Department of the Interior is currently reconsidering its prior decisions authorizing the Eklutna casino in light of its recognition that Alaska tribes do not have territorial jurisdiction over Alaska Native Allotments. The State will review the next steps in its litigation once Interior finishes its reconsideration process.”

The Birchwood Community Council is also requesting the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs “promptly” finish their re-evaluation of the legal standing of the land, its use, and the gaming hall

“It’s really hard when you have citizens come to a community council and say, ‘What do we do? What do we do?’” Ossiander said. “We’ve tried to figure out who to call, who has the answers. And it’s been almost impossible.”

Meanwhile, Leggett hopes they’re here to stay.

“I think that the people that didn’t want it to begin with are still pretty committed to that and don’t think that it’s legal,” Leggett said. “I think the general public, seeing what it is, has become quite excited by it.”

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