Eklutna Tribe Works Fast on Birchwood Casino Project

A total of eight acres of land, known as the Ondola Allotment, located in Birchwood, Alaska, is expected to be the home of a new casino offering a range of gambling activities. The project would be built and run by Marnell Gaming, a recognizable casino developer based in Las Vegas and famous for its projects that include Caesar’s Palace and Bellagio.

Marnell Gaming joined forces with the Native Village of Eklutna, also known as the Eklutna Tribe, which has been trying to open a casino for more than 10 years. In September, the duo started preparation of the land for the casino. Now, construction has already started, local media report suggests.

Constructions and Machines Seen at the Proposed Casino Site

As announced by The Alaska Landmine, the building works for the Birchwood casino have already started with the arrival of heavy equipment, including trucks and excavators on site. Besides construction workers, security guards and other personnel were also seen on site as of Friday.

Required tools, including lights, trailers and heavy machines were also present at the site which is approximately a mile west of Birchwood. Reportedly, the fast-paced work at the planned site for the Eklutna Tribe’s casino comes ahead of the planned swearing-in ceremony for Donald Trump. After winning the Presidential Election in November, Trump is scheduled to swear in office on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The Casino Project Faces Opposition

Despite the ongoing work, the project faces opposition. Last month, Birchwood residents against the planned casino filed a lawsuit. In their legal claim, the opponents questioned the Eklutna Tribe’s tribal status. Don Mitchell, an attorney who represents the Birchwood residents explained that the Tribe’s president, Aaron Leggett, has said on numerous occasions that they plan to open the casino late this year.

However, Mitchell added: “The fact that they are doing this in the dead of night on Friday suggests to me that Anthony Marnell has been advised by his attorneys, or the attorneys for the Native Village of Eklutna, that their legal position is infirm, and that they may lose the lawsuit.” The attorney suggested that the casino developer and the Eklutna Tribe “apparently think they may improve their legal position by changing their position on the ground.”

For years, gambling on Native American lands in Alaska has been prohibited. That is under orders by the Department of the Interior (DOI), which didn’t permit gambling activities on such lands under the interpretation of the state’s laws.

However, in July, DOI’s Interim Solicitor, Robert Anderson, filed an opinion that focused on the status of tribal lands across Alaska. The Interim Solicitor concluded that Native allotments can be governed by tribal jurisdictions with the only exception being the case when the land is not owned by a Tribal member. This effectively paved the way for the development of the Eklutna Tribe’s casino which received approval from the National Indian Gaming Commission.