Navajo Nation Still Without Casino Deal
ALBUQUERQUE — The Navajo Nation may have to wait another year to get a gambling compact with the state of New Mexico. With an expiration date of 2016 on the current compact, Navajo officials are getting nervous about the future of their investments.
It’s the second year in a row that New Mexico's legislature has failed to negotiate a gaming compact with the Navajo Nation.
The deal would have allowed the building of additional casinos by the tribe, and keep those casino doors open until 2037.
With no compact, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly says expansion, improvements and investments to already existing casinos will have to be shelved.
"It just puts everything on hold," Shelly said. "Very uncomfortable feeling at this point in time. We need to improve some of our casino to attract more players to come to our casino and so on. It’s a big, big problem. These are people's casinos, and it hurts."
Shelly says the Nation is considering a number of options, including taking the state of New Mexico to court, and waiving sovereign immunity.
Lawmakers and other local tribes expressed concern that more casinos could hurt the state's gambling industry.
