Updated on: September 4th, 2024
Gambling in Alaska is very limited. There are only two tribal casinos in Alaska with only Class II games. Of-course there are bingo halls where you can enjoy bingo games and pull-tab machines. Because of the strict gambling laws in Alaska there are some very creative ways to gamble in the state. The residents have made an effort to enjoy gambling some form or the other. Out of all the states, Alaska has the most unusual betting revolving around the lifestyle and culture of the state. If you would like to know more about gambling and casinos in Alaska, then keep reading.
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Gambling in Alaska
Most of Alaska is involved in salmon fishing and farming, and there are gambling games designed around that. There are events such as the Canned Salmon Classic where bettors may place wagers on the closest correct guess of the biggest fish weighed. Gambling in Alaska is enjoyable but restricted. Players who enjoy casino games are limited to charitable events which are allowed to host the most unusual gambling games. Gambling in Alaska is truly wild and whacky but highly entertaining.
Does Alaska have Casinos?
Alaska has a total of two casinos with Class II games. Class II games includes bingo games and electronic pull tab games. It also includes non-house banked casino games. Casino games that are not house banked have payouts and prizes made up by the pool of player bets only and no additional funds from the casino itself.
There are also gambling cruises in Alaska where gamblers can enjoy a variety casino games. These cruises sail on Canadian waters from Alaska to allow players to enjoy legal gambling.
Charitable Gambling in Alaska
Pull-tabs, raffles, lotteries and bingo are considered legal for charitable purposes. Any sales from that have to render 1% of the proceeds and to the state and 3% is taxed for operation of the pull tabs. Charitable gaming was legalized in 2012 to combat unregulated online gambling in Alaska.
The laws a=that regulate such charitable lotteries are very clear and strict. Should the lottery no create enough money for the prize the draw must be postponed or all tickets refunded. All lottery tickets or a raffle can only be sold for charity. Even the winners of such charitable lotteries are taxed 10% of their prize. There can be a profit for the charity in the form of an operator’s fee.
Tribal Casinos in Alaska
The tribal casinos in Alaska only have class two games. There is a total of 90 gambling machines in the whole of Alaska. All the gambling you can enjoy is spread across the state. Most of the locations are bingo halls with only a few pull tabs machines. All the tabs halls are run by the Alaskan native community
Alaska Cruise Casinos
As we have already mentioned Alaskan gambling operators are very creative in working around the strict gambling laws in that state. So much so that they are dedicated casino cruises that sail from Alaska into Canadian waters to allow Alaskan residents to enjoy legal casino games. On these cruise casinos players can enjoy real slot machines not just pull tabs. Moreover, they can play classic casino games such as roulette baccarat blackjack poker and many more.
Although the law in Alaska does not make any provision or mention of casino cruises because these cruises sail from Alaska into Canadian waters where gambling is illegal, they are not bound by less than know and you can see me and you always can games. The two main casino cruises crystal serenity and radiance of the seas are docked in anchorage Alaska and in Juneau.
Alaskan Gambling History
Many in Alaska have tried to get gambling legalized on the full scale. However, over the years many of the efforts have been thwarted. For a long time, Alaska like the state of Utah did not even allow charitable gambling. However, in 1960 gambling is a way of raising funds for charity was legalized in 1960. For many years after that it seemed as though the gambling scene in Alaska with progressed since casino cruises were allowed to operate on Alaskan waters right up to 95. However, over the years almost all attempts to fully legalize casino gaming in Alaska have come to North periods.
In 1990 Alaskan residents voted to weigh in on whether to create an Alaskan gambling board with the purpose of regulating gambling in Alaska there was an overwhelming 64% filters against that.
In 1993 one of the native tribes in Alaska king close to having a casino in cloud walk however 2 years later the state managed to what’s that by getting a range of casino games criminalized. This affected the cloud casino plan as well as charitable organizations which used such gains to raise funds.
In 1995 to Celia Cruz is no longer operate on Alaskan waters which is why they now sell out to Canadian waters. Fast forward to 2003 a bill to create a state lottery was rejected and another attempt to legalize casinos in the cities in Alaska was to rejected. Even a vote to allow residents to vote on whether they wanted casinos and gambling legalized in Alaska was rejected in 2008.
Since then not much has changed in the state of Alaska but we will be keeping our eyes and ears to the ground and if anything changes, you’ll hear it first on Best United States Casinos.
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