New Mexico’s Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino near Santa Fe and Santa Ana Star Casino northwest of Albuquerque are reporting positive results since they added sports betting—results that exceed expectations.
Just as Isleta Pueblo near Albuquerque announced it would become the third to add sports book at its casino this summer.
Consumers say having a local option for sports betting is appealing. A Santa Fe resident described as a “casual sports bettor” told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “I think it’s only going to get bigger because what they’re doing right now seems to be working,” adding, “Knowing there’s something just down the road is great because, really, this is something you kind of had to wait to do until you were in Vegas.”
Some states that rushed to join the parade to legalize sports betting after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban against it last year are, according to the New York Times, not so excited about doing so as they once were because states that jump aboard early, like West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Mississippi have realized half the tax revenues they anticipated.
That is not true of New Mexico, where Indian casinos were able to begin offering the games without waiting for the legislature to authorize it because their gaming compacts allowed it.
Robert Mann, of SportsHandle.com, told The New Mexican, “The laws are so different there. It gives a lot of these tribes freedom to do things their own way.” Santa Ana rolled out its sports book in October and Buffalo Thunder followed in March.
Buffalo Thunder had race book before the federal ban on sports betting was lifted. Oddsmaking was provided by Las Vegas Dissemination Company (LVDC), which allowed an almost seamless transition to sports book.
The Las Vegas firm USBookmaking brought the betting to Santa Ana. USBookmaking President Vic Salerno commented last year that the New Mexico market was exceeding his expectations and that the handle had been better than anticipated.
He told CDC Gaming Reports, “It was beyond my expectations and were busy from the day we started. They don’t want the amount of handle out there now. They have a competitive edge, and don’t want to let everybody know.”
The difference between the two is that Buffalo Thunder has multiple TV screens for watching live contests and many more betting options. This allowed Buffalo Thunder to take bets on the first week of NFL games and take bets on division winners and the Super Bowl.
LVDC Sales Director Jay Vaccaro told the New Mexican: “We understand the tribal gaming world and we respect that world, and the tribes go along with what their compacts allow them to do.” He added, “We’re about driving business and making sure it runs smoothly, so now it’s something where everyone who walks in there can have the things that Las Vegas casinos have.”
According to Mann, the real reason for offering sports book is to provide as many amenities as possible to the patron walking through a casino. “It’s about increasing foot traffic,” he said. Once there, the patron may stay for dinner or drop a quarter in the slot machine.
It’s too early to say if profits are increasing as a result, but Mann says the market of half a million people in Albuquerque and Santa Fe is a good pool draw from. “You keep things small, see what kind of traffic you can get in there and, yeah, I think it’s sustainable. If it’s done right, it’s always sustainable,” he said.
Mann says that a healthy sports book operation will be willing to raise limits for betting when the interest calls for it. Both opened with a $500 limit but Buffalo Thunder raised that to $1,000 for the NCAA tournament and says it will do so again for the football season.
According to Vacarro customers came to Buffalo Thunder just for the tournament. “People came from all over just knowing that the sportsbook was there,” he said.
The two oddsmaking companies are in negotiations with other New Mexico pueblos to provide the same services, although they won’t say which ones. There are 14 tribal casinos in the state. USBookmaking has said it will be providing services to Isleta Pueblo when its sports book opens.
There is no open sign that the New Mexico Gaming Control Board or the state Attorney General are contemplating trying to corral tribal sports betting under a state regulatory framework. So far the legislature has not acted on any sports betting measure that would apply to the population at large. A bill that would have prevented the lottery from offering games tied to sports contests has not advanced.
Federal gaming authorities have already said that existing state gaming compacts allow tribes to add sports betting.
Isleta is operated by the Pueblo of Isleta tribe. It has 1,700 slots and 25 gaming tables. CEO Harold Baugus commented on the casino offering sports betting: “We’re very excited to be answering the requests of our guests to bring sports gambling to New Mexico,” adding, “We look forward to unveiling all of the exciting possibilities to our patrons.”
