The Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel in Bernalillo, New Mexico, officially began accepting sports bets on Tuesday.
New Mexico became the sixth state to allow sports betting, joining Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, Mississippi and West Virginia. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed in a 6-3 decision to end the federal ban on sports betting.
People can now bet on NFL, MLB and NBA games, along with college sports, at the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel. Las Vegas-based USBookmaking is operating the sports book on behalf of the Pueblo of Santa Ana, a small Native American tribe.
Betting on games involving the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State, however, is not yet allowed.
New Mexico has 15 Indian casinos which produced $861.6 million in gaming revenue in 2016, according to the recently-released Indian Gaming Industry Report from Casino City.
In a statement, USBookmaking said the Santa Ana Star, which is located 10 miles north of Albuquerque – New Mexico’s largest city – is one of the top three New Mexico casinos in terms of annual revenue.
Vic Salerno, the president of USBookmaking, has said the tribes’s compact with the state allows for sports betting. Also, he said legal opinions have said tribes can operate sport gaming as because tribal land is considered “a sovereign nation.”
New Mexico’s Attorney General has said the state would not stop the activity.
“Sports betting at the Santa Ana Star Casino is governed by the Pueblo of Santa Ana Gaming Regulatory Commission,” David Carl, press secretary to Attorney General Hector Balderas, said last week. “As such, we 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.”
Salerno said other tribes in New Mexico are expected to add sports betting after Santa Ana Star launches.
