States / New Mexico / Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in New Mexico?
Yes. In New Mexico, sports betting is legal in person only (as of Oct 12, 2026). In-person betting launched Oct 16, 2018. Operators pay No New Mexico statute specifically authorizes or taxes sports wagering; tribal casinos in tax.
| Channel | Status | Launched | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (online) | Not authorized | No statewide mobile/online sports-wagering statute exists; the Gaming Control Act does not cover sports wagering and no tribal compact provision for online/mobile sports betting was identified. The Wikipedia "legality of gambling types" table lists New Mexico's "Online" sports-betting column as "No."[1] | ||
| Sports (retail) | Limited | Oct 16, 2018 | Monopoly Tribal | No New Mexico statute specifically authorizes sports wagering. Beginning with Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel (Pueblo of Santa Ana/Tamaya Nation) in October 2018, tribal casinos began offering retail sportsbooks on the legal theory that sports wagering is a "Class III" gaming activity already covered by their existing tribal-state compacts; operator USBookmaking managed the first book. Multiple other tribal casinos (e.g., Inn of the Mountain Gods) later added sportsbooks. Retail/tribal-premises only; no mobile or online component and no non-tribal commercial sportsbooks. Wagers on New Mexico and New Mexico State University teams were excluded at the first sportsbook.[2],[1] |
Tax rate
| Rate | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No New Mexico statute specifically authorizes or taxes sports wagering; tribal casinos (e.g. Santa Ana Star Casino since Oct. 2018) offer retail sportsbooks on the theory that sports wagering is already a Class III gaming activity covered by their existing tribal- state compacts. Sports-wagering revenue is therefore not separately taxed: it falls within the same compact-based "Adjusted Net Win" revenue-sharing schedule that applies to tribal casino gaming generally, under the tiered schedule in the Pueblo of Jemez 2015 compact, not a standalone sports-wagering tax. OTHER (retail) | Oct 2018 | [3] |
Rules
- Minimum age to place a sports wager
- 21 · Secondary-source casino directory separately lists 21 as the minimum gambling age for sports betting, consistent with the casino-floor age at the tribal casinos where sportsbooks operate.[4]
- Wagering on in-state college teams allowed
- No · At the first tribal sportsbook (Santa Ana Star, 2018), bets on New Mexico and New Mexico State University teams were not accepted.[2]?
- Esports wagering allowed
- No · No statute authorizes esports wagering; the same absence of any state sports-wagering framework applies here as to sports generally.[1]
- Online sports wagering available statewide (not tethered to premises)
- No · No statute authorizes online/mobile sports wagering statewide; tribal sportsbooks are retail/on-premises only.[2],[1]
All gambling laws in New Mexico → · Sports betting in every state →
Sources
- Sports betting in the United States · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Table row for New Mexico in "Legality of gambling types in U.S. states and territories" marks Sports betting = Yes, Racetrack = Yes, Commercial = No, Online = No.
- New Mexico Sports Betting coverage (Santa Ana Star Casino launch) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- 2015 Tribal-State Class III Gaming Compact between the Pueblo of Jemez and the State of New Mexico (DOI/BIA-published, executed April 13, 2015) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Section 11(C)(2) sets the tiered Adjusted-Net-Win revenue-sharing schedule used in tax_rates (2%/8.5%/9%/9% for 2015-2018; 2%/8.75%/9.5%/10% for 2018-2030; 2%/9.5%/10.25%/10.75% for 2030-2037). Section 4(F)(2) requires a statewide self-exclusion program. Section 11(D)(2) exhaustively lists the non-tribal Class III gaming the State may allow without penalty (state lottery, fraternal/veterans machines, nonprofit fundraising, racetrack pari-mutuel and capped gaming machines). Used as representative text for the "2015 Compacts" generation; other NM tribes' 2015 compacts were not individually verified to match.
- New Mexico Casinos · retrieved Oct 10, 2026