The Native Village of Eklutna is expanding a temporary casino in Birchwood, where it hopes to also sell alcohol, amid unresolved policy and legal questions affecting the future of a larger permanent gaming establishment.
The village began construction on a nearly 5,000-square-foot expansion to the temporary Chin’an Gaming Hall at the end of January in the latest development regarding the village’s decades-long, contested pursuit of a casino. The move comes about a year after the existing interim facility opened.
“Real simple, we believe the demand is there,” village President Aaron Leggett said of the rationale for the expansion during a recent interview and tour of the new building.
