Figures released last week during a briefing by the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee noted that the state’s tribal gaming revenues declined 10 percent from 2012-2018. Figures that were indicated by how much revenue sharing the state’s 24 tribal casinos paid to the state. The amount paid by the tribes went from $69.7 million to $62.8 million during that period.
This compares to a 3 percent decline in commercial gaming, mainly revenue from five racinos, falling from $63.4 million to $61.6 million. Commercial slot machines at these racetrack-casino hybrids are taxed at 26 percent.
Several tribal casinos last year began offering sports betting, something that is in a legal gray area since although tribal state gaming compacts don’t mention it, they don’t specifically forbid it. Sports betting has not yet been authorized by the legislature.
The Legislative Finance Committee is a nonpartisan watchdog agency. In its briefing it speculated that online gaming, which is currently illegal in New Mexico, might be drawing off profits from both legal gaming sectors.
At the same time the state, while experiencing 1 percent population growth, is not growing as fast as its immediate neighbors, Arizona, Colorado and Texas.
The Gaming Control Board did not comment on the briefing.
Meanwhile, the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino celebrated the opening of its sports betting operation by bringing in mixed martial arts fighter Holly Holm in to mingle with fans and help inaugurate the sports book operation on July 25.
The new facility is located between the Big Game Sports Bar and the Apache Spirit Club.
Miss Mescalero, Molly Evans, was also on hand to help cut the ribbon and observe the first ceremonial wager.
The sports book is powered by William Hill, which is making its entry into the state with the Mescalero Apache Tribe. It is also William Hill’s first tribal arrangement outside of Nevada.
