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Two Coppers Casino grand opening celebrates payoff for years of effort by tribal officials and family
- Mark Sabbatini
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Gaming hall near Eaglecrest Ski Area still facing legal questions from state and federal officials, plus complaints from some members of family that owns the land
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A long-discussed tribal casino near Eaglecrest Ski Area celebrated its official grand opening Wednesday, with stakeholders and customers toasting its payoff potential as a visitor attraction and local economic stimulant with little mention of pending legal issues.
Two Coppers Casino, operated by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, debuted with a "soft opening" in early June, when some functions such as plumbing were not completed. Wednesday’s hour-long grand opening featured a ribbon-cutting, Alaska Native dancers, and speeches by several dignitaries to more than 100 attendees who then filled the chairs at the slot-like machines inside the gaming hall (which now has functional plumbing).
"I think it’s an opportunity; it’s definitely going to expand (Tlingit and Haida)," said Travis Woodbury, a member of a family that owns the land the casino is on, after guiding his uncle, Gabe George, to one of the chairs. "I just see it prospering, and making everything better for the tribe and the people who work here."
Noting that much of the space in the new building and on the lot remains to be developed, Woodbury added "it creates jobs and this is just the beginning."
Two Coppers is a Class II gaming establishment authorized to offer slot-like machines where payouts come from a pool of competing players (much like bingo), non-house-banked card games, bingo and pull-tabs. Games like poker, blackjack and traditional slot machines are not allowed.
The distinction between gaming machine types was a non-factor for Henry Howard and his wife, Dorothy Webster, who were seated before a "Triple Fortune Dragon Unleashed" machine once the doors to the casino opened Wednesday. Without much knowledge of any rules, the couple inserted a $20 bill and began a series of digital spins that saw them win two early payoffs totalling $60, then quickly lose everything in perhaps a dozen more spins. But after inserting more money they were up more than $100 minutes later.
"I kind of like it," said Henry Howard, a lifetime Douglas resident. "Juneau needs some kind of entertainment."
Gabe George was singled out during the ceremony by Tlingit and Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson as one of the key people during the early stages of discussion about a casino who helped to make it it a reality.
"Twelve years ago when I became president one of my first meetings was with Gabe George," Peterson said. "And he came in and he told me about his parents, Jimmy and Lydia George, and he talked about this allotment, and how his parents had a dream for their children and grandchildren, and on and on, that there would be a legacy of support for their family."
The George family obtained a 220-acre parcel on Fish Creek Road — about three miles uphill from the intersection with North Douglas Highway — in a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service in 2002. The USFS in exchange got 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.
There are, however, unresolved issues about the casino’s ability to legally operate involving federal and state officials, as well as some of the 14 members of the George family that are part of the lease agreement with the tribe.
The Trump administration last September reversed a Biden-era ruling that essentially authorized the casino. However, Deputy Interior Secretary Katharine MacGregor stated decisions affected by that ruling would need to be re-reviewed, and the one specific to Tlingit and Haida is still pending.
The administration’s reversal was prompted by a similar gaming facility the Native Village of Eklutna opened in January of 2025. The state of Alaska filed a lawsuit in February of that year to shut down the casino, but it is still operating. An Alaska Department of Law spokesman said last month the state "is deferring to the federal government as that review process plays out" before determining if a similar lawsuit will challenge the Two Coppers Casino.
The casino is also facing a shutdown demand from some George family members who have filed objections with the tribe, federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Indian Gaming Commission.
"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," Jimmy George Jr. wrote in a June 8 letter on behalf of three of signatories to federal gaming officials. The letter asserts unlicensed gaming is occurring at a casino that is a "public health and safety hazard."
Jimmy George Jr., in other statements, asserts "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 also expressed concerns about safety issues such as the casino’s initial opening period without plumbing facilities and the storage of fireworks on the property by the tribe, which sells them at a nearby stand before the July 4 holiday.
There were 10 seats reserved for George family members during Wednesday’s grand opening, six of which were occupied by Gabe George, his nephew and others. Two of them interviewed by the Independent — Woodbury and Rhonda Guest, said Jimmy George Jr.’s complaints don’t represent the family as a whole.
Guest said she’s been to the casino multiple times since the soft opening and "I think it’s great."
"They don't serve alcohol, they're promoting education, (a) civic center, everything that my grandfather wanted, that my family wanted to do," she said.
While Peterson talked about the economic and other benefits the casino will provide the tribe and its citizens, he said "we also want to be good community partners in a community" that includes addressing gambling-related concerns about the facility.
"We made a commitment to the community of Juneau that this is going to be a benefit and not that poison pill for our community," he said. "We're working on programs that will support behavioral health and things around addiction, and what could happen. We're going to do our very best to make sure this is a healthy, fun, positive experience for not only those who enjoy gaming, but for the community and our communities beyond."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
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