Online gambling in Alaska: what the law allows

Alaska: status at a glance

Illegal by default

The Alaska Department of Revenue's Tax Division, which runs the state's charitable gaming program, opens its own overview with a plain sentence: most gambling is currently illegal in Alaska under AS 11.66. That chapter of the criminal code is the starting point. Everything that is legal in the state is a listed exception to it.

The same overview explains how gambling is defined. It names three elements: consideration, chance and a prize. Its example is a person who pays one dollar for a raffle ticket for the chance to win an airline ticket. The dollar is the consideration, the draw is the chance and the airline ticket is the prize. Any activity that combines all three, in a form the law does not exempt, is gambling.

The one carve-out: charitable gaming

The Charitable Gaming Act, AS 05.15, is the exception. The Department of Revenue describes it as the law that allows certain kinds of organizations to run certain kinds of gambling, and calls the permitted activities "gaming activities." Nothing in the overview we read mentions a casino license, a sports wagering license or an online poker license, and the status table above shows none for Alaska.

Who may hold a permit is narrow. A permittee is either a nonprofit that operates without profit to its members or a municipality. To get a permit, an organization has to have existed for three consecutive years and have at least 25 members who live in Alaska. Permits last one calendar year and cover one or more game types: pull-tabs, bingo, raffles, classics, fish derbies, moose derbies and Calcutta pools.

Classics, derbies and the limits on prizes

Some of the games in Alaska's charitable framework are distinctly local. The overview lists classics named for an animal, a cabbage, canned salmon, a crane, deep freeze, a goose, ice, king salmon, mercury, a race, salmon, and snow and snow machines. Certain classics are reserved by statute for particular organizations. The overview gives two examples: the cabbage classic belongs to the Palmer Rotary Club, and the king salmon classic belongs to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce.

Prizes are capped as well. Generally, annual prizes for pull-tabs, raffles, classics and derbies together are limited to $2,000,000, and annual prizes for bingo are limited to $840,000. Net proceeds have to be donated within one year, for educational, civic, public, charitable, patriotic, religious or political purposes.

Operators, vendors and who sells what

Alaska's charitable gaming runs in layers. A for-profit sole proprietor can hold an operator license and run gaming on behalf of one or more permittees under contract. Security of $25,000 to $100,000 is required, depending on how many permit holders the operator works for. An operator's game-related expenses are limited to 70 percent of adjusted gross income, and all net proceeds go to the permittee.

Pull-tabs are sold through registered vendors, meaning bars and liquor stores that a permittee has registered. Pull-tab manufacturers and distributors are licensed separately. This description is of in-person games; the overview does not describe an online version.

What this means online

The one body of law that makes gambling lawful in Alaska is written around organizations, permits and physical games. We found no Alaska license for an online casino, an online sportsbook or an online poker room, and no Alaska register listing any such holder. The overview is a version dated May 5, 2021, and we did not read a later one.

Sweepstakes casinos and offshore sites

Alaska is not on the lists of states that have passed bans aimed specifically at sweepstakes casinos, and industry trackers show no state action there. That is not the same as authorization. Under the definition in the Department of Revenue's overview, a sweepstakes in which a purchase buys a chance at a prize would be measured against the three elements. How sweepstakes operators try to stay outside those elements is explained in the guide to sweepstakes legality, and the table of banned states shows where Alaska stands.

Sites that operate from outside the United States hold no Alaska permit, and no Alaska agency licenses them.

Getting help

The national helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). We did not read an Alaska-run helpline page, so none is listed. The Charitable Gaming Program's own contact for questions about permits is 907-465-2581. More material is on the responsible gambling page.

Frequently asked questions

Does Alaska have a state lottery or casinos?

The sources we read do not describe either. The Department of Revenue overview covers only charitable gaming and says most gambling is illegal under AS 11.66.

Can a nonprofit run a raffle or bingo in Alaska?

Yes, with a gaming permit. The organization must have existed for three years and have at least 25 Alaska resident members. Permits last for one calendar year.

Is online poker legal in Alaska?

The Alaska sources we read describe no online poker license. See the online poker states list for where it is licensed.

Where do the proceeds of charitable gaming go?

Net proceeds must be donated within one year and may be used for educational, civic, public, charitable, patriotic, religious or political purposes.