On the other hand, online gambling has failed to gain much traction in the legislature. In fact, some steps have been taken to discourage the state from adopting Internet play, leading some to suspect that New Mexico could be a late adopter when it comes to setting up our own regulatory frameworks.
Indian Gaming Dominates Landscape
New Mexico’s modern gambling industry was born in 1946, when parimutuel betting on horse racing began at the La Mesa Park in Raton. Over the decades to come, several more tracks would open, and the New Mexico State Fair would become known as the biggest horse racing meet in the state each year.
In the late 80s, the horse racing industry here began to suffer, as Texas started hosting racing of their own. However, many other forms of gaming would soon spring up. In 1990, with several local tribes considering building resorts on their lands, Governor Bruce King appointed a special task force to work on reaching compacts with both the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Pueblo of Sandia.
In both cases, the negotiations were successful, and the tribes and the task force agreed to Class III compacts – which would allow the tribes to run full, Las Vegas-style resorts with slots and table games. However, the governor refused to sign the contracts, and they did not go into effect. That decision may have ultimately proved costly for Governor King: in 1994, he would lose a reelection bid during a campaign where the compacts were a major issue.
His opponent, Gary Johnson, had pledged to sign those compacts, and he ultimately set about doing so in 1995. Thirteen compacts in total were signed between the state and various tribes and pueblos. This still didn’t put an end to the process, however: the New Mexico Supreme Court would rule that the governor did not have the authority to accept the compacts on behalf of the state, and it wasn’t until legislative approval came in 1997 that those agreements would finally be put into place.
Eventually, legislators would come up with a more standardized legal framework for approving these compacts, and new agreements would be signed by most tribes in 2001. Two groups held out because of some revenue sharing disputes, but those disagreements would be settled in the years to come, while the Navajo Nation also entered into the gaming landscape in 2003. Today, more than 20 casinos of various size operate in New Mexico, ranging from tiny slots parlors to some large resorts, such as the Fire Rock Navajo Casino in Church Rock.
Along with these locations, gamblers here can also take their chances on the government-backed lottery. First launched in 1995, the New Mexico Lottery has expanded to offer massive multi-state games like Powerball and Mega Millions, along with statewide drawings and dozens of different scratch off tickets.
