Indigenous Community in Juneau, Alaska Plans Gambling Treatment

Anyone looking for addiction treatment in Juneau, Alaska, now has a new local development to track. Even though The Last Frontier already has an abundance of programs to treat substance misuse, vulnerable communities like Indigenous peoples often fall through the cracks.

To close that gap, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska are designing a gambling addiction program through its behavioral health department. The plan should roll out within weeks of the July opening of Juneau’s first casino.

President Chalyee Eesh Richard Peterson raised addiction prevention on stage at the grand opening of the tribe’s Two Coppers Casino on Douglas Island, in front of a crowd of more than 150 people. He framed the commitment directly, telling the community the casino is meant to be “a benefit and not that poison pill” for Juneau.

The Tlingit and Haida

If the name is unfamiliar, a little background helps. The Tlingit and the Haida are two distinct Indigenous peoples of Southeast Alaska, with homelands across the coastal islands and inlets of the region. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is their federally recognized tribal government. The council represents citizens across Southeast Alaska, rather than a single village or reservation.

Like many tribal governments, it operates its own health and behavioral health services for citizens to enhance care within their cultures. That is the department now building the gambling program, and it is why this is a health story and not just a business one.

The Tribe’s Announcement

Speaking with KTOO after the ceremony, Peterson described how the program will work. The tribe’s behavioral health department has been developing a plan to identify people who appear to be spending too much time or too much money at the casino, encourage them into the tribe’s behavioral health program, and ask them to step away from Two Coppers in the meantime.

People identified that way would need to complete a program before returning. That’s a meaningful design choice. It puts the intervention inside the venue rather than waiting for someone to seek help on their own, which is often the hardest part with gambling.

The ceremonial opening on July 1 followed a soft opening on Douglas Island the previous month.

Understanding Gambling Disorder

Gambling disorder is a behavioral addiction, sometimes called a process addiction. It doesn’t involve a substance, but it activates the same reward and motivation pathways in the brain that alcohol and other drugs do. That’s why it responds to many of the same treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing and peer support groups.

Because there’s no intoxication to notice and no physical withdrawal in the way there is with alcohol, gambling disorder often stays hidden much longer than substance use does. Money is usually the first visible sign, and by then the financial damage can already be significant.

Signs of Problem Gambling

If you’re worried about yourself or someone in your family, these are the patterns clinicians look for.

• Needing to bet larger amounts to get the same excitement

• Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop

• Restlessness or irritability when trying to stop

• Returning to gamble to win back losses, often called chasing

• Lying to family members about time or money spent

• Borrowing money, selling belongings or falling behind on bills because of gambling

• Pulling away from work, school or relationships

• Gambling to cope with stress, anxiety or low mood

Gambling disorder also frequently occurs alongside substance use, anxiety and depression. That’s one reason it belongs in a behavioral health department rather than a standalone service.

Local Access Matters in Alaska

Geography shapes treatment access in Southeast Alaska in a way not applicable to most of the country. Juneau isn’t connected to the state highway system, and many surrounding rural communities are reachable only by boat or plane. That makes locally delivered behavioral health services and telehealth far more important than a referral to a program hundreds of air miles away.

It also means a tribally operated program has real reach. Tlingit and Haida serves citizens across the region. A gambling program housed in its behavioral health department can help folks who would otherwise have limited options nearby.

The Casino Still Faces Questions

The casino is open, but not without dispute, and the disagreement runs through the family that owns the land. In 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior withdrew a legal opinion that gave Alaska tribes jurisdiction over land allotments owned by Alaska Native families. Peterson noted that the tribe’s attorneys believe the change shouldn’t affect its ability to operate the Juneau casino.

Members of the George family, which owns the land the casino sits on and leases it to the tribe, have written to the tribe opposing the project. They cite public safety and legality concerns and have asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to cancel the lease.

Other family members attended and spoke in favor of the opening, including a grandson of the original allotment holders who described the years of work that made the site possible.

For families in Juneau, the practical question is simpler than the legal one. The casino operates, and officials are finalizing the addiction program.

Finding Addiction Treatment in Juneau & Beyond

If gambling or substance use already causes harm in your household, don’t wait for a new program to launch.

• Contact Tlingit and Haida behavioral health services if you’re a tribal citizen and start setting recovery goals.

• Ask your primary care provider for a behavioral health referral, including telehealth options that work from smaller communities.

• If someone is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Gambling related financial crisis carries real suicide risk, and this line covers it.

That’s where we come in. Our fully searchable directory features verified treatment centers and can help you compare local options by treatment type, insurance and level of care. Searching by state and city is usually the fastest way to see what is actually within reach.