As of 2025, esports betting remains unregulated in New Mexico, with no state laws or tribal gaming compacts authorizing wagering on professional video game competitions. While retail sports betting is available at select tribal casinos, none currently offer esports markets. Online esports betting also remains illegal, and although some offshore sportsbooks accept wagers from New Mexico residents, these platforms are not licensed or regulated within the United States. There have been no meaningful legislative advancements to legalize esports betting in New Mexico, and the state continues to lag behind others that have formally embraced both retail and online esports wagering.
Legal sports betting options in New Mexico
As of 2025, New Mexico permits in-person sports betting exclusively at tribal casinos, with no legal framework for online or mobile wagering. The state’s tribal gaming compacts allow for Class III gaming, which includes sports betting, enabling certain tribal casinos to operate sportsbooks without additional state legislation.
Currently, five tribal casinos offer retail sports betting: Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel (Bernalillo), Buffalo Thunder Resort Casino (Santa Fe), Isleta Resort & Casino (Albuquerque), Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino (Mescalero), and Route 66 Casino Hotel (Albuquerque) . While there have been discussions about expanding sports betting, including online and mobile options, no significant legislative progress has been made, and esports betting remains unregulated in the state .
NM Venues with sports betting
- Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel – Sportsbook at The Star
54 Jemez Canyon Dam Rd, Bernalillo, NM 87004
The first venue to offer legal sports betting in New Mexico, launching in October 2018. - Buffalo Thunder Resort Casino – Thunder Race & Sportsbook
20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87506
Operated by the Pueblo of Pojoaque, this resort offers full-service in-person sports betting. - Isleta Resort & Casino – Isleta Sportsbook
11000 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105
Located just south of Albuquerque, this sportsbook offers a wide range of traditional sports markets. - Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino – Sportsbook at the Inn
287 Carrizo Canyon Rd, Mescalero, NM 88340
Operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, this sportsbook is run in partnership with William Hill. - Route 66 Casino Hotel – The Book
14500 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87121
One of the newest additions to NM’s retail sports betting scene, run by Laguna Development Corporation.
Most popular esports games in New Mexico
While New Mexico esports betting is not yet legal in this US state, esports is blossoming, with many games played at a competition level.
Check our guides to learn more about the most popular esports games:
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty (COD)
- Call of Duty World League
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
- Dota 2
- FIFA eSports Leagues
- Fortnite: Battle Royale
- Forza
- H1Z1
- Halo
- Gears of War
- Hearthstone
- Heroes of the Storm
- League of Legends
- NBA 2K
- Overwatch
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
- Halo
- Smite
- Honor of Kings
- StarCraft II (SC2 or SC II)
- World of Warcraft
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Rocket League
- World Of Tanks
New Mexico Sports Betting to go online
New Mexico is the sixth state to make sports betting legal since the 2018 US Supreme Court decision to strike down a federal ban on sports gambling that had been in effect since 1992. New Mexico joins Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, and West Virginia as part of the first group of states to allow legal betting options.
New Mexico’s situation is special. Unlike other states on that list, New Mexico saw a tribal casino which started taking bets on sports before any official state legislation had been passed.
The Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel, operated by the Pueblo of Santa Ana, accepted the state’s first legal sports wager in October 2018. This was made possible through its Class III gaming compact with the state, which permitted various forms of casino gambling—including sports betting—without requiring new laws from the state legislature.
Unlike many other states, New Mexico has yet to enact formal legislation specifically authorizing or regulating sports betting. Nonetheless, due to these tribal agreements, sports wagering is legally offered at several tribal casinos. While no online or mobile sports betting is currently permitted under state law, industry observers remain optimistic that future regulatory progress will eventually bring broader access and possibly include esports betting as part of that evolution.
Top online sportsbooks active in some states in the USA
- William Hill USA review
- FanDuel review
- DraftKings review
- bet365 USA review
- Barstool Sports review
- BetMGM review
- 888Sports USA review
- FoxBet review
- Golden Nugget review
- Unibet USA review
NM sports betting timeline
Before diving into the full breakdown, here are some essential points about how sports betting works in New Mexico:
- Retail only: Sports betting is currently limited to in-person wagering at a small number of tribal casinos—there is no legal mobile or online betting in the state.
- Esports not permitted: Wagering on esports remains illegal under current New Mexico gaming regulations.
- Regulatory oversight: All sports betting activity is overseen by the Pueblo of Santa Ana Gaming Regulatory Commission, under the authority of tribal-state compacts.
- Operational partner: Sportsbooks are managed by USBookmaking, a Las Vegas-based company specializing in tribal and retail sportsbook operations.
- Betting limits: Minimum wagers start at $5, while the maximum is capped at $500 per individual bet.
- College sports restrictions: Bettors cannot place wagers on New Mexico or New Mexico State collegiate teams, regardless of the sport.
New Mexico sports betting laws – PASPA to now
The 2018 Supreme Court decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was a landmark moment for sports betting in the United States. The ruling came in response to an appeal by the state of New Jersey, which successfully challenged the federal ban that had restricted legal sports betting to Nevada since 1992.
By striking down PASPA in May 2018, the Supreme Court gave each state the power to determine its own stance on sports gambling—including whether to legalize it and how to regulate it. Within months, several states followed Nevada’s lead, launching legal retail and online sportsbooks.
New Mexico became the sixth state to offer legal sports betting, but it did so without passing new state legislation. Instead, the Pueblo of Santa Ana Tribe began accepting bets at the Santa Ana Star Casino by relying on a tribal-state gaming compact that neither specifically permitted nor prohibited sports betting. This legal grey area effectively allowed the tribe to operate a sportsbook under existing Class III gaming provisions—setting New Mexico apart from other early adopters.
Esportbet.com will keep you abreast of the latest developments in the New Mexico esports betting scene as they happen, including the latest law developments, best betting sites and much more.
