New Mexico tribes report drop in gaming revenues

Tuesday, May 19, 2009  

Some tribes in New Mexico reported double-digit drops in gaming revenues for the first quarter of 2009.

Ohkay Owingeh, Santa Clara Pueblo and Tesuque Pueblo saw some of the largest drops in net wins from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009. All three tribes are located near Santa Fe.

Pojoaque Pueblo is also located near Santa Fe but the tribe nearly doubled its net wins. That's because the tribe opened a new gaming facility last fall.

"Fortunately, we were able to expand before the economy took a tailspin downward, but it's still a challenge for us." Gov. George Rivera told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Tribes near Albuquerque, the largest city in the state, also reported declines in net wins. The largest was seen at Acoma Pueblo, which reported a 35 percent drop.

Overall, net wins fell $2.5 million from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009.

Get the Story:
Revenue drops for N.M. tribal casinos (The Santa Fe New Mexican 5/19)