In 1990, with several local tribes considering building resorts on their lands, Governor Bruce King appointed a special task force to work on reaching compacts with both the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Pueblo of Sandia. However, many other forms of gaming would soon spring up. In the late 80s, the horse racing industry here began to suffer, as Texas started hosting racing of their own. Over the decades to come, several more tracks would open, and the New Mexico State Fair would become known as the biggest horse racing meet in the state each year. New Mexico’s modern gambling industry was born in 1946, when parimutuel betting on horse racing began at the La Mesa Park in Raton.
In fact, some steps have been taken to discourage the state from adopting Internet play, leading some to suspect that New Mexico could be a late adopter when it comes to setting up our own regulatory frameworks. On the other hand, online gambling has failed to gain much traction in the legislature.
