By John L. Smith, CDC Gaming Reports
Roaming through the Buffalo Thunder Resort Casino on Super Bowl Sunday, there was a moment I could tell I wasn’t in Las Vegas anymore. It wasn’t the size of the casino floor, a more than respectable 61,000 square feet filled with 1,200 slot machines, 18 table games, a poker room – and a new feature on the New Mexico gambling scene, a race and sports book. Nor was it the hotel accommodations offered by Hilton, or the three neighboring golf courses and four restaurants on site. The place has a lot going for it. I knew I was in some place different because the sports book offered a carne asada taco special instead of the traditional hot dogs for the Big Game. It was a nice, tasty touch. But that’s New Mexico, a place apart with a legalized gambling industry that’s steadily evolving in increasingly competitive times. (more)