New Mexico Sports Betting 2020

Guide To Online Sportsbooks New Mexico

The federal ban on sports betting — the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) — was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018, allowing individual states to legalize wagering within their borders. However, a bill wasn’t introduced in the New Mexico legislature. That didn’t stop Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel from offering sports wagering at its tribal casino.

New Mexico has yet to officially legalize sports betting. Despite this, sports betting is already being offered to Santa Ana Star visitors as well as a growing number of sportsbooks across the state. Since it wasn’t legislatively driven, New Mexico is different than most states with legal sports betting.

The tribes say they are legally able to offer sports betting because of its previous gaming compact with New Mexico.

Sportsbook locations can be located in New Mexico at the state’s tribal casinos, and a handful offer sports betting now. Under the gaming agreement, any of the state’s nearly 30 tribal casinos could take bets from any eligible bettor 21 or older at its casino property.

The state’s attorney general has so far not taken any action trying to stop the tribal casinos, meaning that sports betting will continue be offered in New Mexico for the foreseeable future.

Is Sports Betting Legal in New Mexico?

There is no law allowing sports betting in New Mexico, but one casino, the Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel outside of Albuquerque, opened a sports book shortly after PASPA was overturned, and began taking bets in mid-October 2018.

Without having passed statewide mobile or online legalization, New Mexico is restricted to wagering on sports in-person at tribal casinos. Betting on sports is completely in the hands of the tribes that run each casino in which it is offered. The state doesn’t even assess an additional tax for sports betting.

By the end of 2019, there were four additional tribal casinos that can offer sports betting in person: Route 66 Casino Hotel, Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino, Buffalo Thunder and Isleta Resort & Casino.

New Mexico Casinos And Their Partners

What to Consider When Choosing New Mexico Betting Sites

Remember, you have to bet in-person at one of the tribal casinos offering sports betting. So there are just a few betting sites to choose from. But all things considered, what else should you look for at the New Mexico casino betting sites?

• Sports and Odds
  

  The first thing to look for is whether the casino offers the sports and games you want to bet on. Obviously, you can bet on the major sports leagues, but can you place a wager on overseas soccer or horse racing? After finding the sports or games you want to be on, you need to see how their odds stack up against other options. Go to an odds comparison site, pick a game and see how the odds at the New Mexico casino compare to the competition.

• Free Bets, Bonuses & More
  

  You can likely find free bets, bonuses and other enticements to attract you to a casino in New Mexico. There might be betting requirements to satisfy, but it’s likely worth it for the free bets or bonuses. This is far more common for online sportsbooks, but New Mexico offerings may nevertheless consider new promotional options.

• User Experience
  Check out the casino offerings and how concerned it Is about user experience. Some casinos offer betting sites that will work for you, while others will fall short. Research the different casinos to see which sportsbooks located there will appeal to you.

What Events and Markets Are Offered at New Mexico Casinos?

Typically, a sportsbook at one of the casinos will off key games and leagues to wager on, so bettors in New Mexico should be able to bet on the NFL, college football, NHL, NBA and other sports.

Even though you can bet on NCAA events, you can’t bet on games involving New Mexico’s college teams. So that means no wagers on University of New Mexico or New Mexico State games.

Do The Casinos Offer Mobile Betting?

Currently, mobile sports betting is not offered at the sportsbooks in New Mexico casinos. At some point, online betting could be a possibility but lawmakers in New Mexico would need to legalize online sports betting. The compact with the Indian tribes would also have to be changed.

Gambling in New Mexico Timeline

2019

The New Mexico Racing Commission in August decides against granting a sixth horse track and casino license.

2018

The Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel outside of Albuquerque took its first sports bet in October. The New Mexico Racing Commission decides to grant another horse racing license, creating the state’s sixth racetrack, but tables the decision in December.

2016

New Mexico’s legislature votes on a bill that would legalize online daily fantasy sports, also setting regulations and guidelines for the industry.

2009

New Mexico enacts the Bingo and Raffle Act in July, repealing the state’sformer bingo law. The new law allows organizations to obtain licenses to conduct bingo and raffle games for charitable purposes as well as reducing the state’s existing tax on for the activity.

1998

The state passes legislation that permits the authorization for five horse racing licenses, which leads to the creation of New Mexico’s state-run racetrack casinos.

1995

Gov. Gary Johnson signs gaming compacts with the tribes of New Mexico, leading to the Cities of Gold, the state’s first land-based casino. That very same year, New Mexico approves the state lottery.

1990

Gov. Bruce King appoints a task force to negotiate gaming compacts with the Pueblo of Sandia and the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

1946

Pari-mutuel betting begins in New Mexico with the opening of La Mesa Park in Raton.