A bill has been introduced in the Alaska legislature calling for the legalization of card rooms with house-banked games such as blackjack.
“Card rooms in the state of Alaska have been contemplated for years. Now is the time to stop contemplating and make them a reality,” said Rep. Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, the sponsor of House Bill 103, which would authorize the venues𑁋casinos for all intents and purposes only without machine games𑁋and create an Alaska Gaming Commission to oversee them.
Traditional casino gambling is currently available in the state only on offshore cruise ships and in two Indian-owned casinos offering around 100 non-house-banked machine games operating on a pari-mutuel network.
Conversely, Sullivan-Leonard envisions the card rooms as “multi-faceted venues with traditional amenities such as restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and hotels”.
“Let’s bring the cards out of the back rooms and in a fun, social setting for all to enjoy,” the Republican lawmaker said.
The bill would tax the venues at 9.5 percent tax of gross gaming revenue and assess a $100,000 fee per license.
That said, it would not be a game-changer for the Alaskan treasury by any stretch, given the state’s small population (around 500,000 adults), and great distances. A 2017 Oxford Economics study commissioned by the American Gaming Association projects only around $7 million in wagering volume annually, although the total economic impact would amount to several millions more, factoring in employment, construction and other spinoffs.
“A new tax stream and labor-intensive businesses that create jobs should be welcomed during these uncertain fiscal times,” Sullivan-Leonard said.
Although Sullivan-Leonard’s party holds a majority of the 60 seats in the Alaska House of Representatives and Senate, it was not certain how the bill would fare in the current session, which commenced January 17 and is limited by statute to 90 calendar days.
