Ohkay Owingeh eliminates jobs amid big drop in casino revenue

Friday, September 16, 2011  

Ohkay Owingeh in northern New Mexico has eliminated 15 jobs and cut benefits and hours for other employees amid a big decline in gaming revenue.

In the first quarter of 2007, the net win at Ohkay Casino was $7.3 million. By the second quarter of this year, the figure had fallen by about half, to $3.7 million, The Rio Grande Sun reported.

"Nobody wants to do these things, but if I don’t have the revenue to make a payroll, I can’t make a payroll,” Gov. Ron Lovato told the paper. “That’s just a fact.”

This is the second time in three years that the tribe has made changes in employment at the casino.

Get the Story:
Jobs Cut at Ailing Casino (The Rio Grande Sun 9/15)