The city of Santa Fe is home to one less gaming venue after the recent announcement of the Nambé Falls Casino closure. Now, it seems the area of New Mexico may soon be adding a casino as the Pueblo of Tesuque Tribal Council announced they are planning to open a new venue next to the Sante Fe Opera.

The Pueblo of Tesuque plans on creating a new gaming venue neighboring the opera house, just off highway 84/285. The tribal council believes that the casino will create jobs in the community as well as spur development locally. Mark Mitchell is the Tesuque Pueblo Governor, who stated that the casino has been a vision of the tribe for many years and will be essential to help create funding for education on the reservation.

According to kob.com, the planned casino will see its first phase include 750 slot games plus table games. The goal is to open by fall of next year. In later phases, the tribe will be adding a hotel as well as resort-style amenities.

Situating the casino near the opera house does seem to be causing some concern. The General Manager of the Santa Fe Opera, Charles Mackay, stated that there have been discussions with the tribe about the casino for close to a year now and the venue is concerned, basically due to the element of the unknown. The Santa Fe Opera house is an open-air venue, which creates a unique experience for visitors, with live shows and the beautiful views of the area.

One of the existing casinos in the state, the Camel Rock Casino, is also operated by the Pueblo of Tesuque. According to Mitchell, the tribe will be shutting down this gaming site when the new casino opens next to the opera house. For the new casino, the tribe has plans to begin breaking ground in January.