Casinos in Alaska

Casinos in Alaska have a rather ambiguous legal status. This makes it impossible for Alaska-based companies to launch online casino sites. Residents of the state can’t even wager on the outcome of horse or greyhound racing events.

Nevertheless, Alaska residents can play at several Bingo Halls and Pull Tab establishments, which include CBJ Bingo in Juneau as well as Native Village Barrow Pull Tabs. The law allows for social gambling as long as the games are held on private property and there is no operator to profit from the games in the form of rake or other similar fees.

Alaska Gambling Laws

All land-based gambling is covered by Alaska Statutes and Codes Sec. 11.16.110 – Sec. 11.16.270. The current regulations don’t mention online gambling due to the fact that the existing laws have been created before the advent of real money gaming sites. Even though the attorney general of Alaska stated that playing online slot machines or video poker games could be considered illegal, there’s simply no denying the fact that no players have been prosecuted so far and that the state doesn’t seem to be interested in going after individual casino enthusiasts who enjoy the games in the privacy of their homes.

Sec. 11.66.250. – Affirmative defenses.

(a) It is an affirmative defense in a prosecution under AS 11.66.230 that the gambling record was possessed by the defendant solely as a player.

(b) It is an affirmative defense in a prosecution under AS 11.66.230 or 11.66.240 that the gambling record

(1) was not used or intended to be used by the defendant in the operation or promotion of unlawful gambling;

(2) was used or intended to be used by the defendant in a social game.

The authorities simply focus on tracking down illegal gambling operators, so in the end Alaska residents are free to play at offshore casino sites like Bovada or Grand Parker.

Online Casinos

Alaska-based players simply don’t have any regulated, intrastate sites to play on, which means that all online casino enthusiasts from that state flock to offshore sites like Bovada or WinPalace. Those sites give them access to bigger player pools, better promotions and larger jackpots, so it should come as no surprise that their popularity has been on the rise over the past few years.

While Alaska regulations won’t protect you from online casino fraud and scam sites, all the sites listed here are perfectly reliable and have a long history of providing their customers with timely withdrawals and respecting the terms and conditions of all the promotions they offer.

Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Alaska Players

Alaska does not prosecute individual online players, so it should come as no surprise that all the major US-friendly casino accept new Alaska-based customers. This means that Alaskan casino enthusiasts are free to play all the latest slots and table games from top-notch casino software providers, such as Real Time Gaming and BetSoft Gaming.

Please note that playing on offshore casino sites limits the number of deposit options you can use. Alaska residents can’t fund their on-site accounts using e-wallet services like Neteller or Skrill, but fortunately Visa and MasterCard payments are available as long as your card has been cleared for international transactions.

While credit card payments aren’t 100% reliable, sites like Bovada might allow you to deposit via a Western Union or MoneyGram cash transfer, which is guaranteed to go through regardless of the state that you’re currently residing in. Most sites will allow you to cash out via a wire transfer or a check by courier.

Developing Legal Scenarios

Alaskan lawmakers simply aren’t interested in changing the existing regulations and there are no lobby groups or organizations that expressed their interest in this matter. Consequently, the current situation isn’t likely to change unless new federal gambling regulations are passed.