New Mexico Betting Sites: Legal Betting Options and Future Potential

Are you eager to get a head start and find the best betting sites in New Mexico? Then we invite you to read on. On this page, we’ve featured absolutely all of the essential information you need to know about placing legal bets in New Mexico, including details about sports betting and other options.

Here, readers will also find extensive instructions on how to recognise a trustworthy New Mexico betting sites. There are limited legal sports betting options in New Mexico, and we’ve made sure to only offer legal and licensed betting options to our readers. We’ll also go into depth about current New Mexico betting laws, future potential, and nearby states which feature more flexible gambling selections.

What Betting Options are Legal for New Mexico Residents

If you’re in the state of New Mexico or looking for comprehensive gambling options in the state, there’s plenty to choose from. New Mexico does not technically offer legal sports betting, though there is one reengage exception we will explore in future sections.

There are no New Mexico betting sites or New Mexico online sports betting options. There are 23 tribal casinos in the state and five licensed racetracks, plus the state lottery.

Closest States to New Mexico with Legal Sports Betting

If you’re interested in placing your sports bets conveniently online, you might find yourself very disappointed by the lack of New Mexico online sports betting options. While this is bound to disappoint some players, thankfully there are plenty of alternative options available, including nearby states which feature sports betting.

So if the limitations of New Mexico aren’t appealing and you aren’t looking to place a grey-area sports bet in a New Mexico casino, we’ve got you covered. Here below, we’ve provided states which are alternatives to the lack of New Mexico online sports betting. Each of these states provide online sports betting options.

In-person sports betting at tribal casinos remains a popular choice for locals. But for those wanting to entertain a different type of wagering experience, neighboring Colorado offers full mobile betting.

Although newly launched, Colorado offers one of the most robust markets in the country, perhaps providing a blueprint for what could be achieved in New Mexico.

What Would Legal Sports Betting in New Mexico Look Like?

Players who are interested in legal sports betting options in the state of New Mexico will be glad to find that fully-legal sports betting does not seem a far shot from reality. This is because the state already takes a very light-handed approach to the land-based Native American casinos which already provide users with the ability to place bets on sports in New Mexico.

Currently, the state does not have a law which specifically outlaws or allows for sports betting, so Tribal Casinos are allowed to operate and provide sports betting. This does not apply to online services however, for which there is no blind eye turned. So while sports betting in-person is possible in New Mexico, players will have to wait for lawmakers to update state conditions for it to become officially legal and see New Mexico betting sites introduced.

If the state were to officially allow for legal online sports betting options, there are a few things players will see at the best betting sites New Mexico. These include guarantees of safety and licensing from state legislators. Players are likely to be able to bet on major league markets such as NFL, MLB and NBA games, and even college teams.

What are the New Mexico Gambling Laws

It’s nice to be able to look forward to the future of sports betting law in New Mexico. But for the time being, it’s important to understand the current New Mexico gambling laws which players are subjected to, which we will explore in the following sections. As-mentioned before, there are no New Mexico betting sites at the time of writing.

This extends to both New Mexico online sports betting sites and online casino sites. The state of New Mexico provides players with the ability to place bets at any of its land-based casino options, of which there are 24 tribal casinos and five racetrack casinos. These include table games such as poker, in addition to slot machines and more.

Players may even find some sports betting options at land-based casinos in New Mexico, as the state does not heavily regulate this for its Native American casinos, and does not specifically outlaw these bets. Racetrack casinos offer players the ability to bet on slot machines and horse races.

In New Mexico, players must be 21 and up to place bets in casinos. There are exceptions to this rule in the state however. New Mexico allows players to place bets on the state lottery and horse racing from the age of 18. There are also legal horse racing sites, and Daily Fantasy Sports betting options.

History of Sports Betting and Gambling in the State of New Mexico

As mentioned prior, the laws surrounding sports betting in New Mexico are somewhat murky, as no legislation has been passed in the state one way or the other. In the following sections, we’ll delve into the history of sports betting in the state of New Mexico, providing readers with some insight into how the state has been known to operate.

As has been the situation with many states, legal horse racing was one of the first allowed legal forms of betting in the state of New Mexico. Horse racing was introduced to the state in 1947, which was one of the only ways to place a bet in the state. Next came gambling contracts with local tribes, signed between 1987 and 1990 to allow for tribal casinos.

Following the introduction of legal casino gambling in the state through Tribal Casino options, New Mexico became a near-fully fledged betting state. Federal law banned sports betting in 1992, which applied to all states except for Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware. Somewhat interestingly, New Mexico was a late adopter of a legal state lottery, launching this in April of 1996.

After this, there wasn’t too much news on the sports betting front in New Mexico, until a landmark federal appeal in 2018 overturned the PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992) to allow states to vote on legal sports betting and online sportsbooks. Following the lift of the federal ban, New Mexico hasn’t technically legalized sports betting, but the state accepted sports bets in casinos from 2018.

The New Mexico Gaming Control Board is responsible for monitoring compliance of the New Mexico gaming tribes under the approved tribal/state gaming compacts.

Should online sports wagering be legalized in the near future, the GCB would take on the responsibility to monitor and protect the public interest in the state’s legitimate gaming industry.

What is the Future of Sports Betting in New Mexico?

There’s no way of knowing what exactly may be on the cards for bettors in the near-future in the state of New Mexico. But the state’s lenient attitude towards land-based Indian casinos offering sports betting could be a sign that there is good news on the horizon, and we may see New Mexico sportsbook options arise in the near future.

However, this is only speculation at this point. Until the House passes a bill to officially instate legal sports betting options, players will have to visit other legal sports betting states to get a guaranteed safe and fair bet through a legitimate and licensed sportsbook website.

If and when there are legal sportsbooks in the state, rest assured we’ll be here to break down and list the best betting sites New Mexico has to offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that readers have found all the information you were seeking through the sections provided on this page about sports betting New Mexico. For those of you who still have any remaining issues or queries, we’ve provided the following list of answers to frequently asked questions about what sports betting and other gambling options are available in New Mexico.

⚖️ Is online gambling and sports betting legal in New Mexico?

For the time being, there is currently no legal online gambling in the state of New Mexico. It seems that the state’s legislators and lobby groups are very intent on keeping things restricted to land-based tribal casinos for the present. Check out our information about land-based casinos to learn about your options.

🛡️ What is the New Mexico legal gambling age?

The state of New Mexico allows players of the age of 21 and over to play casino games like poker and slots when betting at licensed and legal tribal casinos in the state. However, there are some exceptions ot the rule – players over 18 can bet on the lottery and horse racing tracks. Brush up on New Mexico betting laws here.  

🚨 Can I trust that sites like MyBookie and Bovada are legal and safe?

Though it is undeniably tempting to take up the offers of offshore betting sites in states with prohibitive laws, we can’t recommend it. This is because we can only considered state licensed betting sites legal, and these sites more often than not do not hold individual state licenses. Find out more about legal betting markets here. 

🔎 Can I play at a New Mexico online sportsbook if I am not in the state?

As state laws determine the legality of what you can and can’t do in terms of betting within a given state, naturally players will want to bet according to these terms. As such, players are advised to only bet on sites licensed in your state of play, though you can usually open an account and sign in while interstate. Read our section on neighbouring state betting to learn more.