Newly proposed legislation in the New Mexico house would upgrade the state's five racinos to include sports wagering and full-service table games like craps, poker, and blackjack, reports the Las Cruces Sun News. Under the proposal, the state lottery would be responsible for managing and operating the casinos, which in turn supports the struggling New Mexico Lottery College Fund.
“I truly believe this is a win-win for the state as a whole,” bill sponsor Rep. Ray Lara, D-Chamberino told the Las Cruces Sun News. “This is going to benefit our young people. This is going to bring jobs. This is going to bring additional revenue to our communities and to our state.”
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham offered up a bill last year which intended to make up for shortages in the Lottery College Fund from the General Fund, but the bill fell short and is being reworked for the 2021 session. Lara said his bill is not in competition with the Governor's, but instead is intended to strengthen it.
State lottery CEO David Barden told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the lottery was not consulted on the bill prior to its announcement.
New Mexico Senator Steve Neville, R-Farmington, one of the bill's five co-sponsors, said he was asked to support the bill by SunRay Park, his hometown racetrack. Neville explained that tying the gaming expansion to the state lottery, and thus the college fund, is a political move to make the bill more palatable to both the public and other lawmakers.
“We've got tracks that are suffering and are not going to be around if we don't do something,” Neville told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “(The tracks) can't get the support themselves. They wanted to open up gaming in general, and the bill evolved out of that.”
Read more at the Las Cruces Sun News and the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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