Alaska Online Gambling
Alaska online gambling options are extremely limited due to the state having some of the nation’s most restrictive gambling laws.
Most forms of online gambling are explicitly prohibited in Alaska, leaving residents with only a handful of unregulated/gray area options such as fantasy sports and sweepstakes casinos.
Read on for the full rundown of alternative online gambling options in Alaska, the key statutes that impact players, recent legislative efforts, and where to find help if gambling becomes a problem.
Legal Alaska Gambling Sites
21+ and present in AK. T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.
Alaska Online Gambling Overview
| Type of Gambling (minimum age) | Legal Status | Notes |
| Online Casinos (n/a) | Illegal | Prohibited under AK Stat § 11.66.200 |
| Sweepstakes Casinos (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Technically legal; operates in a legal gray area |
| Online Sports Betting (n/a) | Illegal | Prohibited under state law; past legislative attempts failed |
| Daily Fantasy Sports (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | No statute addresses DFS; major platforms operate in AK |
| Fantasy Pick’em (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Same as DFS; no guidance from regulators to date |
| Online Lottery Sales (n/a) | Illegal | Alaska has no state lottery; efforts to create one have failed |
| Online Horse Racing (n/a) | Illegal | Prohibited under current state law; no ADWs operate in AK |
Alaska Online Casinos
Legal online casinos do not operate in Alaska.
State law is unambiguous in its prohibition of casino-style gambling. Alaska Statute § 11.66.200 makes it a violation to participate in gambling, and promoting gambling is a more serious offense.
Alaska law defines gambling as staking something of value on a contest of chance or a future contingent event. Because games like slots, blackjack, and roulette are considered games of chance, they are illegal.
This prohibition extends directly to the online space, and the state has shown no interest in establishing a legal framework for real money online gambling in Alaska.
Legalization Outlook
Currently, it appears highly unlikely that Alaska will legalize online casinos anytime soon.
Alaska has no tribal gaming compacts or an established commercial gambling industry, so there’s a profound lack the expertise, experience, and technical infrastructure that would be required to launch, operate, and regulate online casinos.
There have been no notable efforts to legalize online casinos in Alaska to date. The state’s conservative stance on gambling and lack of significant public or political support make legalization unlikely in the near future.
In February 2025, the state sued to block federal approval of the Eklutna tribe’s Chin’an Gaming Hall in Birchwood, emphasizing Alaska’s resistance to expanded casino gambling.
Sweepstakes Casinos in Alaska
Sweepstakes gambling sites are the closest available alternative to online casinos in Alaska.
Reputable sweepstakes casinos let players obtain Sweeps Coins (which are exchangeable for cash prizes) via free “alternative methods of entry” (AMOE). Once players have Sweeps Coins, they can play many casino-style games, ranging from online slots to real-money blackjack.
Legal Status of Sweepstakes Casinos in Alaska
Technically, sweepstakes casinos comply with all relevant state and federal laws, but they operate in a legal gray area.
Sweepstakes casinos are not considered gambling under state law because they do not require players to wager real money to win prizes. This removes the element of “consideration,” a necessary component of the legal definition of gambling.
Alaska has no specific laws for sweepstakes regarding filing, bonding, or prize notices. Instead, they are governed by general consumer protection laws. This makes operating sweepstakes in the state effectively legal and unregulated.
Lawmakers have not considered legislation targeting sweepstakes casinos in Alaska, and neither the Department of Revenue (which oversees charitable gaming) nor the Alaska Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit have issued guidance to date.
Nonetheless, future scrutiny is likely given the regulatory actions undertaken against sweepstakes casinos in other states.
Alaska Online Sports Betting
Alaska law prohibits online sports betting.
Legal online sportsbooks do not accept customers from Alaska due to the state’s strict gambling laws.
Alaska has made no progress toward legalizing online sports betting since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA (the bill that prohibited sports betting at the federal level) in 2018.
Lawmakers have introduced several bills to legalize online sportsbooks in Alaska, but all have failed to gain significant traction or advance out of committee.
Notable recent efforts include:
- HB 385 (2022): Aimed to authorize, regulate, and tax online sports betting. Died in committee.
- HB 145 (2025): Also sought to legalize, regulate, and tax online sportsbooks in Alaska. Died in committee.
Alaska Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily fantasy sports operate in a legal gray area in Alaska, but major DFS brands like FanDuel and DraftKings accept Alaskans.
Key takeaways for players:
- Fantasy sports apps operate openly in Alaska but do so without state oversight
- There are no consumer protection regulations governing DFS apps in Alaska; players rely on operators’ internal safeguards and general state/federal consumer protection laws
- The most effective way to safeguard your funds and personal information is to use reputable and well-known fantasy sports brands exclusively
Legal Status of DFS in Alaska
Alaska has no statute that specifically authorizes or bans paid fantasy sports contests. The controlling criminal statute, AK Stat § 11.66.280, defines gambling as staking something of value on contests in which chance materially affects the outcome.
Operators and most legal commentators argue that DFS is predominantly a game of skill, which removes it from the state’s definition of gambling. However, no Alaska court or regulator has tested that theory.
Fantasy Pick’em Contests in Alaska
Fantasy pick’em apps are the closest available alternative to online sportsbooks in Alaska.
Major fantasy pick’em operators like PrizePicks and ParlayPlay offer contests in which players predict whether athletes will achieve more or less than projected stat totals. For example:
- Will the Ravens’ QB throw for more than or less than 249.5 yards on Sunday?
- Will the Mariners’ starting pitcher achieve more or less than six pitcher strikeouts?
Legal Status of Fantasy Pick’em Apps in Alaska
Fantasy pick’em contests operate in Alaska under the same legal assumptions and regulatory environment as their traditional DFS counterparts.
Unlike in many other states where regulators have challenged pick’em games for resembling sports betting, these contests have flown completely under the radar in Alaska.
State regulators, such as the Department of Revenue, have not taken action or issued any opinions on the legality of fantasy pick’em apps in Alaska.
Their legality hinges entirely on the skill-game argument, which has not been formally tested or contested in Alaska. For now, fantasy pick’em apps operate in an unregulated space with no specific oversight, but their long-term standing could change if lawmakers or regulators ever decide to address the issue directly.
In short, Alaska fantasy pick’em apps:
- Operate in a legal gray zone under skill-based exemptions from state gambling statutes
- Accept Alaskan customers 18 and older
- Are unregulated and provide consumer protection measures via internal policies only
Alaska Online Lottery Sales
Alaska does not have an official state-run lottery, and it does not participate in multistate lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions.
However, lottery-style games are available online through Lotto Alaska, a legal and privately-operated charitable lottery.
How Lotto Alaska Works
Lotto Alaska operates under a license from the Department of Revenue, and its weekly Chase the Ace progressive jackpot guarantees a minimum prize of at least $250,000.
Online Ticket Sales
To buy tickets online, players must be:
- 18+ years old
- Physically located within state lines
Ticket Prices
- $2 per ticket
- Ten tickets for $10
- 25 tickets for $20
- 75 tickets for $50
- 200 tickets for $100
How to Win
- Drawings held Sundays at 6 PM
- Weekly winner receives 20% of that week’s sales
- The winner then draws a card from the 54-card jackpot board
- If that card is the Ace of Spades, the weekly winner also wins the progressive jackpot
- Progressive jackpot starts at $250,000 and rolls over until someone wins
- $600 secondary prize for anyone who matches the first six digits of that week’s numbers from left to right anywhere in their numbers
Where the Money Goes
Lotto Alaska dispenses proceeds from ticket sales as follows:
- 20% to the weekly prize
- 30% to the progressive jackpot
- 50% to various nonprofits and lottery expenses
Will Alaska Authorize A State Lottery?
Legislators have floated several proposals to establish a state lottery in Alaska, including HB 239 in 2020 and SB 150 in 2023, but all died shortly after introduction.
Alaska’s long history of opposition to expanded gambling combined with concerns about the social impacts of legalization and a lack of popular support have limited enthusiasm for a state lottery.
Online Horse Racing Betting in Alaska
Online horse racing betting (advance deposit wagering) is illegal in Alaska.
As a result, legal US horse racing betting sites do not operate in the Alaska market.
Alaska law provides no statutory framework for parimutuel wagering and therefore no way to run racetracks, off-track betting facilities (OTBs), or advance-deposit-wagering websites (ADWs):
- AK Stat. § 05.15.690 carefully lists every game it authorizes: bingo, pull-tabs, raffles, ice-classics, derbies, etc., and horse wagering never appears.
- Under AK Stat. § 11.66.280(3), risking “something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance” is illegal gambling unless another statute carves out an exception. No such exception exists for horse racing.
Dog Mushing Betting As A Legal Alternative
Online dog mushing betting is legal in Alaska, but availability is limited.
The only form of animal racing wagering that is permitted in Alaska is dog mushers’ contests. Dog mushing wagering is allowed under a specific exception in Alaska’s charitable gaming laws and requires a permit from the Department of Revenue.
The Alaska legislature passed SB 204 in 2022 to amend AK Stat. § 5.15.640 by authorizing permitted nonprofits to sell tickets online for raffles, lotteries, derbies, and dog mushers’ contests, provided they verify purchasers are 18 or older and physically located within state lines.
The Iditarod Trifecta is the most prominent example of dog mushing betting in Alaska, but its availability varies year-by-year. For example, the Iditarod Trifecta accepted online entries in 2020 and 2024 but not in 2025 or 2026.
Alaska Gambling Regulators
Given its limited scope of legal gambling, Alaska does not have a dedicated gaming commission. Regulatory oversight falls to a single state agency:
- Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division: This department is responsible for issuing permits for the few forms of gambling that are legal and explicitly authorized by the state.
Responsible Gambling Resources in Alaska
Alaska offers no statewide self-exclusion program, but charitable-gaming permittees must honor written self-ban requests. Residents can also access national help lines:
- Self-Exclusion: Request a self-ban with individual permittees (bingo halls, pull-tab vendors).
- National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER (call/text) or chat at 1800gamblerchat.org.