New Mexico Sports Betting + Nm Online Sports Betting

With sports betting becoming more and more mainstream, it seems like every week a new state is passing legislation to legalize betting within state lines. This is going to be a rapidly evolving space which is why we are making sure you have all the information you need regardless of where you live. We have broken down the betting landscape for all 50 states so that you can find out if your state has any legalized betting, or where they are at in the process. Keep in mind this is a fluid situation that will be changing on the fly as more and more states decide to enter the sports betting landscape. Here are the top-five things you need know about New Mexico sports betting and NM online sports betting apps.

1) Is New Mexico Sports Betting Legal?

The situation in the Land of Enchantment is a complicated one on the sports betting front. No bill has been passed that legalized sports betting in New Mexico, but, there hasn’t been a bill that deemed it illegal either. So, the answer here is a bit murky.

Some of the tribe-owned casinos in New Mexico have taken things into their own hands and decided that sports betting is legal under their current state gaming compacts. This was a stunning idea and situation which hasn’t really been seen anywhere else in the country. What this means, however, is that the tribal casinos could offer sports betting, although there would be no sports betting apps to the offerings.

2) What Bills are Currently Before the State Legislature?

To date, there aren’t any New Mexico sports betting bills up for a vote. However, some tribes are now offering sports betting under an existing Class III gaming compact.

There was a bill proposed by the New Mexico Lottery to nix any sports betting that isn’t offered at a tribal casino with bill H-441 in February.

New Mexico sports betting hasn’t passed legislation as of yet, but the Pueblo of Santa Ana tribe did open a sportsbook at its Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel. Tribes in New Mexico have exclusive rights to the category where sports betting falls.

3) What are the Next Steps for NM Sports Betting?

Flash forward to present day and this is where we currently sit: physical locations taking sports bets, but nothing on the online sports betting or sports betting app front. It also means that if more is to be done on that front, there will need to be negotiations between the tribes and possibly outside companies all looking to add the revenue to their bottom line. Right now New Mexico is in a decent spot thanks to the loophole that the Pueblo of Santa Ana tribe was able to find, but this may be as far as it goes for the immediate future.

Obviously, the answer to this would be to pass a legalized sports betting bill “in full.” This would grant full access to New Mexico sports betting to be done other than on the premises of the tribe-owned casinos. Then, of course, the next step would be somehow finding a way to move to legalize online sports betting apps (such as DraftKings and FanDuel).

4) What are the Most Popular Teams to Bet on in NM?

Let’s be real, the most popular thing New Mexico has is Walter White and Breaking Bad, since there are no professional sports teams there, of course.

As often is the case, football reigns supreme. The NFL bets are likely to be heavily leaned toward the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans. There are some big-time colleges, though — like New Mexico and New Mexico State — but betting on collegiate sports is not permitted at every book in NM.

5) Is There Anything Else to Know About NM Sports Betting?

A quick summary: In order to partake in sports betting, you must be on one of the physical brick-and-mortar casinos that offer sportsbooks. No online sports betting or sports betting apps are offered yet, and it seems there is still a ways to go on that front. You must be 21 years or older to place a legal wager — and one interesting thing is that no alcohol will be served in the sportsbook.

There are currently five casinos that accept sports bets in New Mexico:

Hilton Buffalo Thunder Casino in Santa Fe
Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero
Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque
Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque
Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo

Three additional casinos could be coming in the near future, as the Navajo Nation works toward adding sports betting.

The books offer the largely popular US sports such NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB; and major college athletics. Sports like golf, tennis and MMA are also available.

What are the Most Common Types of Bets I Can Make in New Mexico?

Straight bet

This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:

Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320

at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260

O/U 206

The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.

Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.

Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.

In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.

Over/Under

This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.

Parlay

A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.

New Mexico Sports Betting FAQs