Tribal Gaming In New Mexico Down Despite New Casinos
New Mexico casinos reported a drop in gambling net win in the first quarter of the year. The news came as a surprise, as two new casino locations were opened by tribes since last year's numbers were generated.Pojoaque Pueblo opened its Buffalo Thunder Casino in August, and the Navajo Tribe began operations in November at its Fire Rock Casino. Considering the two casinos generated about $13 million, the $2 million drop becomes more significant than at first glance.
Tribal casinos throughout the state brought in a net win of $173,364,770 for this year's first quarter. Last year, the figure was $175,791,147. The Pojoaque gaming numbers increased with the new location from $6.3 million to more than $12 million.
''Just like all the other industries, gaming is down," said Pojoaque Governor George Rivera. ''Fortunately, we were able to expand before the economy took a tailspin downward, but it's still a challenge for us."
Rivera said the casino had eliminated positions never filled to limit layoffs, as employment at its Santa Fe casino is running almost two hundred jobs under expectations.
