The mission of Stop Predatory Gambling New Mexico is to educate the public and public officials regarding the toxic relationship between government and the gambling trade. Further, our mission is to constrain and eventually eliminate the failed government policy of predatory gambling.
Predatory gambling is the practice of using gambling to prey on human weakness for profit. For-profit gambling, or commercial gambling, is illegal unless granted special legal exemption by the government. Casino gambling, the most common form of predatory gambling, differs from other problematic forms, such as social gambling, because it leads to higher rates of addiction, promotes organized crime, leads to higher rates of gambling losses, and promotes vices which are sanctioned and protected by the state.
Mark Burton ThD: Chairman of Board of Directors,
Jackie Farnsworth: Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors,
Dr. Guy Clark: Board Member,
Doris Buckman: Board Member,
Kay Grotbeck: Board Member
History of Gambling in New Mexico
Gambling in New Mexico has evolved significantly since the state's early days. When New Mexico gained statehood in 1912, all games of chance were prohibited under the original criminal code, leading to a long period of underground gambling. The first major step toward legalization came in 1946, when pari-mutuel horse racing betting was legalized, marking the beginning of modern regulated gambling in the state. The La Mesa Park in Raton opened that same year, becoming a key venue for horse racing.
The landscape changed dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s, driven by the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, which enabled Native American tribes to establish casinos. Although Governor Bruce King initially refused to sign compacts with tribes, his successor, Governor Gary Johnson, signed agreements in 1995 that allowed tribes to operate casino games, including Class III slots, table games, and poker. This was followed by the launch of the New Mexico Lottery in 1995, which later joined the Multi-State Lottery Association in 1996.
In 2011, New Mexico approved its first non-tribal commercial casino, located in downtown Albuquerque, marking a significant expansion of the state's gambling industry. The state also legalized sports betting in 2018, following the Supreme Court's overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, with the Pueblo of Santa Ana Tribal Group launching sports betting at the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel.
Despite these advancements, online gambling remains largely unregulated. While daily fantasy sports (DFS) were legalized in 2016 , and online horse and greyhound racing betting are permitted, no state-sanctioned online casinos or poker sites exist. The New Mexico Gaming Control Board explicitly states that it does not license, regulate, or endorse any online gambling activity, and internet gambling is considered illegal under state law due to its broad definition of gambling. However, enforcement is minimal, and no prosecutions for online gambling have been reported.
