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Shutdown of new tribal casino demanded by members of family that owns the land, who allege legal and safety violations
- Mark Sabbatini
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
‘Tlingit & Haida is building a facility our family did not authorize, at a location our family did not approve, and for an intended use our family did not approve’
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Members of a family that owns land where a tribal casino opened near Eaglecrest Ski Area this month are demanding it be immediately shut down, stating it is ‘a public health and safety hazard’ that isn’t lawfully authorized, according to documents obtained by the Juneau Independent.
The Two Coppers Casino was opened last week by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on a 220-acre site owned by heirs of an Angoon man who refers to themselves in correspondence as the "George Family." Jimmy George Jr., in a June 8 letter to federal gaming officials, asserts unlicensed gaming is occurring at a casino that is a "public health and safety hazard."
"Our family continues to be deeply concerned that Tlingit & Haida is building a facility our family did not authorize, at a location our family did not approve, and for an intended use our family did not approve," the letter declares. The letter states it is being sent on behalf of three other family trust landowners.
The allegations add to questions about the casino’s legal status, with Tlingit and Haida officials acknowledging a challenge by the state is possible based on a Trump administration interpretation of tribal governance regulations.
The June 8 letter by George to officials at the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Indian Gaming Commission, plus other documents dating back to February related to the dispute, were sent to the Juneau Independent by an unidentified person who stated they work for Tlingit and Haida. George, in a midday response to an email Friday from the Juneau Independent about the authenticity of the documents, confirmed he authored the correspondence with his name.
A lengthy list of concerns in George’s June 8 letter includes the lack of water and plumbing during the casino’s "soft opening" before a targeted July 1 official opening, the lack of water posing a fire safety risk, an "apparent lack of meaningful on-site security and surveillance at the facility," and whether fireworks and/or other explosives are being stored on 20 acres of the family-owned land being leased by the tribe.
The concerns are part of a more extensive and years-long dispute, according to George.
"What has been built and opened is materially different from the earlier development concepts reviewed during the 2015 to 2019 period, and that nothing since then has been reviewed or approved by the family," he stated in the letter.
George, in a subsequent message to the Juneau Independent on Friday night, stated family members "were not trying to embarrass the Tribe or create a public fight." However, as part of his response to the Independent about the documents obtained he sent a press release and several additional documents related to the dispute. He also noted the opening of the casino and the tribe’s public statements about it were a factor in responding publicly.
The documents include a series of exchanges between stakeholders that occurred Thursday, with tribal and federal officials stating the concerns raised by family members are being reviewed. George, in response, called the updated correspondence vague, without addressing specific requests for information and intended actions.
His press release asserts Tlingit and Haida’s public statements about the casino’s opening are "misleading at best" and "reflects a broader concern the George Family has raised for years: the public record being presented one way, while the Family’s actual experience has been very different."
Tlingit and Haida, in a statement issued to the Juneau Independent on Friday, asserted "Two Coppers Casino is operating in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations."
A request filed Feb. 1 with federal officials to terminate the family’s lease of land to the tribe remains active, according to George. Inquiries sent at midday Friday to BIA and NIGC officials listed on correspondence he sent did not receive a response as of Friday evening. Attempts to contact a few other members of the George family listed on the documents sent to the Independent were unsuccessful.
Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson, the tribe’s president, stated in an April 7 letter to BIA that it appears not all 14 members of the George Family are involved in the objections. Also, according to Peterson, if there is a complaint by the family "the Lease explicitly provides that those disputes must be adjudicated via arbitration, not BIA intervention."
George, in a May 26 letter to the tribe, stated he has "written support from 11 of the 14 family members, representing 71.25% ownership, and verbal support from the remaining 3." He stated to the Juneau Independent that a single trust landowner can ask the BIA to respond to concerns.
"By contrast, the Tribe cannot lawfully rely on one or two supportive family members to justify a materially changed casino location and business plan on restricted family land," George wrote. "That is where broader approval matters, and that is precisely where Peterson has a problem. He needs all 14 to approve the current location and purpose of the project. He will never get all 14."
In a further aspect of the dispute, Peterson stated in a Feb. 25 letter to George the casino construction site was illegally padlocked by family members on Feb. 23 following George's demand to BIA at the beginning of February to terminate the family’s lease agreement with the tribe. Peterson stated that, even if the demand had been signed by all family members, the tribe would have 45 days to address and remedy an alleged breach of terms. The tribe removed the locks and continued with construction.
The circumstances leading up to the casino’s opening have been decades in the making.
The George family obtained the 220-acre parcel on Fish Creek Road in 2002 in a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service, with the USFS getting property on Admiralty Island that Jimmie George, a patriarch of the Tlingit Killer Whale Clan who died in 1990, received via the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Tlingit and Haida has been leasing 20 of the Fish Creek acres from Jimmie George’s heirs since 2015 and speculation that land would be used as a casino circulated for years until construction began in 2025.
The tribe, in a June 5 press release announcing the casino’s opening, stated Peterson during a debut event "reflected on the significance of the project and thanked the George Family for their partnership and vision."
“Projects like this do not happen overnight,” Peterson said in a statement included in the release. “They require patience, courage, and a willingness to believe in a future that cannot yet be seen. The George Family believed in that future, and we are grateful for the trust they placed in Tlingit & Haida as we worked together to bring this opportunity to life.”
Jimmy George Jr., in his press release Friday rebutting the tribe’s statements, stated, "My Family should not be forced to live with a public narrative that does not match the record."
"The George Family is not willing to remain silent while a disputed project is publicly presented as transparent, accountable, and fully supported," he wrote. "The record should be examined carefully, and the public should be able to judge it based on the underlying documents, not public-relations language."
The letter demands BIA and NIGC immediately order the casino to cease operations, and then provide in writing details about matters such as whether licensing for the facility as it has been built was issued, if it was deemed suitable for public occupancy, and if the tribe’s statements about being authorized to operate have been verified.
Another June 8 letter by Jimmy George Jr., to Tlingit and Haida First Vice President Ku.seen Jacqueline Pata, refers to previous letters sent in April and May expressing such concerns, and that responses from tribal officials were misleading or false.
"We have been ignored, misled, and strung along while the project moved forward," he wrote. "We were told one thing privately while the Tribe now says something very different publicly. That is not honorable conduct. That is not the way tribal citizens should be treated by their own leadership."
In a May 26 letter to Pata, he stated the preference is the dispute be "resolved in a fair, respectful, and honorable way" — but "the family cannot continue being asked to accept decisions after the fact while construction continues and basic questions remain unanswered."
"When I met face-to-face with BIA in Anchorage, I made clear that if this matter cannot be worked out fairly, then I want the lease cancelled," George wrote. "I also told BIA that I have discussed the possibility of selling the property if that is what it takes to end the dispute with the Tribe, and I do not believe obtaining all 14 family signatures for a sale would be a problem under the circumstances."
Pata, in a June 11 email to George and another family trust member, stated the concerns expressed have been reviewed by tribal leaders and the council’s attorney to ensure "your viewpoints are fully considered."
"As we move forward, it is important that we remain mindful of the legal, regulatory, and political considerations associated with this gaming venture, and that we continue to follow the guidance of our legal counsel," she wrote. "At the same time, I believe strongly in the importance of maintaining open communication and a spirit of collaboration."
Beyond the family dispute is the question of whether the State of Alaska will challenge the casino’s legality.
The Trump administration last fall reversed a Biden-era ruling cited by the NIGC when it authorized an amended gaming ordinance adopted by the tribe in October of 2024. The reversal was prompted by another Alaska Native gaming facility operated by the Native Village of Eklutna that opened in January of 2025, with the state of Alaska filing a lawsuit a month later to shut down the casino.
The Ekultna casino is still operating and Peterson said earlier this month he feels "fairly secure" about Two Coppers prevailing against the state in a potential lawsuit.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
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