The Nambé Pueblo will open a new slots-only casino about 16 miles north of Sante Fe, New Mexico tomorrow marking their first entry into the gambling business after about two decades of on again, off again consideration. The projected opening date was slightly delayed several times as they worked out all the details to offer a convenient roadside casino to exceed all expectations in the otherwise saturated market by offering ‘A New Way to Play.”
Nambé Falls Casino doesn’t look to compete head to head with larger tribal casinos in the area that offer more floor space, far more slots, and table games. The 7,310 square foot venue, next to the existing Nambé Falls Travel Center off U.S. 84-28, offers what is described as “one of the most elegant gaming floors in the region,” and accessible parking along with 180 slot machines. The games are said to be a mix of reel and video slots with multiple denominations. The casino will be aimed at “locals who don’t always want to game at the larger facilities but seek that comfortable, convenient and personalized setting,” according to Albuquerque Development Services Group & Associates CEO, Matt Doyle, developer of the project.
There are five other casinos in the immediate area with the closest being Pojoaque Pueblo’s Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino about a mile away. With the Nambé Falls Casino’s opening, 15 tribes now offer gaming in New Mexico. The Nambé Pueblo first authorized gambling in 2004 and signed a gambling compact with the state in 2005. A new compact that expires in 2037 was signed later. Ground was broken on May 8, 2015.
Tribal members will hold an event from 2pm until 6pm, and the casino’s operating hours on Sunday will be from 6pm until midnight.