Sports Betting in Albuquerque, NM

This is our Albuquerque (NM) online sports betting overview. We update you on the legislation, betting sites, mobile apps, New Mexico’s casinos and gambling locations in 2019/2020. To learn about sportsbooks – top Albuguergue casino destinations and read reviews go to tripadvisor. 

Albuquerque Sports Betting & Gambling Locations

There is some legal sports betting in Albuquerque in 2019 (online apps to come in 2020), and a very limited range of regulated casino gambling. New Mexico launched sports gambling at Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo, NM, located near Albuquerque and Isleta Resort Casino in Albuquerque has launched sportsbook (in partnership with USBookmaking). You can bet on for example Super Bowl and Olympics there.

The focus for Albuquerque sports betting is The Downs Racetrack and Casino, one of five licensed racinos and sportsbooks in New Mexico.

The Downs has been running races since 1938 and now holds races June through September. The on-site casino has over 700 games and slots, including progressive jackpot games. Gambling is overseen by the New Mexico Gaming Control Board.

Simulcast racing and wagering is also permitted at The Downs. You can place bets on races beamed from tracks across the world. The Downs has hundreds of TVs in a new grandstand area. Pari-mutuel pool betting is available and is legal under current New Mexico gaming law.

In 2019, online sports betting and gambling in Albuquerque isn’t legal. But like some states in the south, New Mexico lawmakers are looking at ways to regulate the industry in 2020.

Class III gaming in tribal casinos in New Mexico

Tribal casinos in New Mexico could offer sports betting as Class III gaming if permitted under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. But outside tribal casinos, sports betting on single matches is still against the law.

In fact, Albuquerque toughened the gambling laws in the state with the introduction of HB 441. The bill – Lottery Changes – would lead to a complete ban on mobile lottery betting. But the fear is that HB 441 could mean that legalized sports betting in Albuquerque stays off the statute books for the foreseeable future.

Online betting is possible for Albuquerque 

New Mexico has so far not outlawed Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). Sites like FanDuel and DraftKings now accept bets from players in Albuquerque.