Acoma Pueblo said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration on a new 22-year gambling compact. The new compact proposes revenue sharing of 8.5 percent through 2018, 8.75 percent through 2030 and 9.6 percent through 2037. Under the current compact, which expires in June, the tribe shares 8 percent of slot revenues from its Sky City Casino, located 75 miles west of Albuquerque. Acoma Pueblo Governor Fred Vallo said, “The agreement will provide the economic development we desire. We will be able to fund tribal operations at all levels. But more than anything it will be used to provide jobs, by offering a paycheck every two weeks.” Pueblo officials said Sky City employs more than 600 people.
The Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the U.S., also recently agreed to a proposed compact that would increase the revenue-sharing percentage and allow the tribe to build another casino within six years. Last year the state senate voted against allowing the Navajos to add three Las Vegas-style casinos to its current two over 30 years. Several other gambling tribes opposed that deal.
The Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Mescalero Apache Tribe also are negotiating new compacts with the Martinez administration. Jemez and Zuni pueblos are seeking gambling compacts although they do not operate casinos and have no immediate casino plans.
The Pojoaque Pueblo’s gaming compact also will expire in June. In December 2013, the pueblo, which operates two large gambling operations north of Santa Fe, sued the state. The lawsuit stated the Martinez administration proposed illegally collecting a percentage of gambling revenues without giving the pueblo anything in return, and also that the Martinez administration wanted to raise the amount of money required by the state from the tribe. The pueblo said it wants to negotiate a gambling compact directly with the Interior Department—a move that could dramatically change the balance between gambling tribes and the state.
The state sued the Interior Department, claiming the Pojoaque was illegally interfering with the state’s right to negotiate a compact. A U.S. District Court judge agreed, and both the pueblo and the Interior Department have appealed.
New compacts must be approved by the New Mexico legislature, which will convene in Santa Fe on January 20 for a 60-day session, and the U.S. Department of Interior.
