Betting on snowfall amounts now legal statewide after governor allows bill by Juneau legslator to become law

Rep. Sara Hannan’s HB50 aims to provide charitable gaming opportunities for Juneau Nordic Ski Club, other organizations

A back deck in the Mendenhall Valley is blanketed with snow on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Rosemarie Alexander-Isett / For the Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Hosting "snow classics" as a charitable gaming activity, with participants guessing total snow accumulation at a specific site by a specific date, is now legal statewide after a bill by a Juneau legislator became law Monday.

Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, introduced House Bill 50 in January of 2025 at the request of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club, which hoped to use such events as part of its fundraising efforts. The House passed the bill 35-2 in April of that year and the Senate passed it 19-1 on the final day of this year’s legislative session.

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed the bill to become law without his signature on Monday.

Previously the only allowable such event was Alyeska Snow Classic administered by Four Valleys Community School Inc. A Feb. 12 letter to legislators by Frankie Pillifant, president of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club, stated the his organization’s fundraising efforts "are strained with the ever-increasing cost of equipment, insurance, travel, and the many other costs associated with operating a ski program.”

“Many youth sports programs Alaska not connected by road are presented with significant financial challenges and conduct community-based fundraising to support the higher cost of travel, equipment, and coaching," she wrote. "HB50 legislation is an essential fundraising tool for the continued success and growth of the youth ski programs that include elementary, middle, and high school levels.”

The Alaska Department of Revenue, in a fiscal note, projects the new law will have no cost to the state.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.