New Mexico’s Indian casino market is getting a third sportsbook operation.
The Isleta Resort near Albuquerque announced Tuesday it signed a deal with Las Vegas-based USBookmaking to operate sportsbook inside the property’s casino. The facility is expected to open this summer.
The property will be the second location in New Mexico for USBookmaking. The company opened the state’s first sportsbook last fall at the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel, also near Albuquerque.
Last month, the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Santa Fe opened a sportsbook that is managed by National Sports Book Management (NSBM) and the South Point in Las Vegas. NSBM is founded and owned by John Gaughan and Jay Vaccaro.
The New Mexico legislature has not legalized sports betting. The tribe is operating the sports book through its state compact and under its right as a sovereign nation. The New Mexico Attorney General is monitoring the activity but didn’t move to halt the operation. Mobile sports wagering is not allowed.
USBookmaking President Vic Salerno, one of Las Vegas’ longtime bookmakers, operated the Leroy’s sportsbook brand, starting with a small, smoky location in downtown Las Vegas. Under Leroy’s, Salerno and his team operated 125 sports books in Nevada. The company was sold to William Hill US in 2012. Salerno was a 2015 inductee into the Gaming Hall of Fame.
He established USBookmaking to offer daily fantasy sports under Nevada sports betting regulations. The company operates the sportsbook for Baldini’s Casino near Reno.
Isleta, which is operated by the Pueblo of Isleta tribe, has 1,700 slot machines and 25 table games.
“We’re very excited to be answering the requests of our guests to bring sports gambling to New Mexico,” Isleta Casino CEO Harold Baugus said in a statement. “We look forward to unveiling all of the exciting possibilities to our patrons.”
In October, Salerno told CDC Gaming Reports the New Mexico market was better than he expected. The first few weekends brought in “thousands of people” and the handle was larger than his projections.
“It was beyond my expectations and were busy from the day we started,” Salerno said. “They don’t want (the amount of handle) out there now. They have a competitive edge, and don’t want to let everybody know.”
He said Isleta “validates” the market and USBookmaking’s interest in New Mexico.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
