A tribe in Alaska is clearing land as it hopes to get approval to develop a new casino and start the work next year. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

An Alaska tribe is clearing part of its land in the hope of receiving approval to develop a casino in December. The Native Village of Eklutna has an eight-acre site for a 50,000-square-foot facility, which is a 30-minute drive from Anchorage.

The tribe is clearing the land to make room for construction trailers and hopes to begin work next year if all goes well.

needs a Bureau of Indian Affairs permit to allow construction to begin

The National Indian Gaming Commission already gave its seal of approval for the project in July, and it now needs a Bureau of Indian Affairs permit to allow construction to begin.

If this gaming hall gets the green light, it will have between 350 and 500 electronic gaming machines and a restaurant. Las Vegas-based Marnell Companies has an agreement with the tribe to help develop the facility. It will be the second casino in the state.

The Native Village of Eklutna President, Aaron Leggett, highlighted it would be a “modest” Class II facility that will not not offer casino games like poker, craps, or baccarat.

The tribe has tried for decades to get the go-ahead for this project and received numerous knockbacks from the federal authorities over jurisdictional issues regarding Native allotments.