New Mexico has become the sixth state to accept sportsbook bets. The first casino to do so was the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel in Bernalillo. It has pledged not to accept wagers on the Lobos or Aggies, the teams of University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University.
But there’s plenty to bet on, including NFL, MLB and NBA games, as well as college sports for teams based outside of the state. The service will be offered seven days a week. During hours when no staff is present to take bets, self-serve kiosks will be available.
New Mexico joins Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, Mississippi and West Virginia as states that accept sports betting. The U.S. Supreme Court in May lifted the federal ban that had been in place since the 1990s.
“We are extremely proud of the fact that Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel is the first tribal casino in the state of New Mexico, and one of the first in the nation, to launch a sportsbook,” said Santa Ana’s CEO John Cirrincione in a statement.
In an interview with the Albuquerque Journal he said, “We are planning to take bets on all major professional and collegiate sports with the exception of UNM and New Mexico State. Although we believe there would be interest on betting on local teams, we believe it best not to take bets on these teams.”
The sports betting at Santa Ana Star is being operated by Las Vegas-based USBookmaking. The other 14 Indian casinos have not stated what their plans are involving sportsbook.
Santa Ana Star is one of the most profitable of the 15 casinos, which in total produce $861.6 million in gaming revenue annually. Its tribal state gaming compact allowed for sports betting. Its sportsbook is located in the middle of the casino in four betting stations.
Although New Mexico is not legalized sports betting, the state attorney general’s office has said that it will “closely monitor New Mexico’s tribal gaming compacts and work with the legislature for proper statutory and regulatory oversight to require responsible gaming and enhanced integrity to create an even playing field for all.”
Cirrincione said the casino sees sports betting as more of an amenity than a real money-maker. “Sports betting has a very small house advantage and is quite labor intensive,” said the CEO. “Since we won’t be taking the big bets you would see in Las Vegas, our net profit projections are between a small profit and a small loss.”
