SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Community leaders in Farmington say they were blindsided when they found out that a local racino was planning to move its operation across the state. Now, they’re asking state racing officials to reconsider, hoping to prevent a hit to the economy.
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“Despite the 28-year relationship between Sunray and the county, it appears that the owners of Sunray purposely kept the county in the dark as it worked on the project to move the license to Clovis,” said Mike Stark, San Juan County Manager.
Stark spoke out on Monday night about the prospect of Sunray Park and casino pulling up stakes in Farmington. The owners went before the New Mexico Racing Commission last month, expressing their interest in relocating their operation to eastern New Mexico.
During a county commission meeting Monday evening, the manager said the move would hurt the area’s economy. “Potentially eliminating 120 jobs here,” said Stark. Going on to say, “An entertainment venue for the county, eliminating the horse racing industry that exists here and all the vendors that participate and benefit from that industry.”
The county commission is now asking the racing commission to reconsider its decision, after approving Sunray’s request to move its racing license to Clovis. “Movement of the racing license to Clovis from Farmington would eliminate stable jobs, reduce public revenue, and undermine years of economic development,” said Stark.
The public can give their thoughts on the move now through December 4. The racing commission will then have a public hearing in Clovis. If the racing commission does not reconsider last month’s decision, the county commission is asking that the meeting be held at a neutral site after the holidays.
In a recent statement, Sunray Park’s president said confidentiality was necessary to comply with the racing commission’s rules and regulations. He said economic challenges are leading the decision to move.
SunRay Park President Paul Blanchard sent this statement last month to KRQE News 13:
Due to the approval process that SunRay was required to follow in order to comply with New Mexico Racing Commission rules and regulations, confidentiality of the application and proposal was necessary. There was no assurance that conditional approval would be granted by the New Mexico Racing Commission prior to the submission of the application and proposal. Once the application was submitted to the Commission, the information became public and could be discussed with all stakeholders.
San Juan County has been an excellent landlord for SunRay Park and Casino. However, the decline in gaming revenues, race purses, gaming days, patron visits, and simulcast betting has been substantial—far beyond what could be resolved through a rent reduction or facility improvements. The economic challenges created by the ongoing decline in revenue can only be addressed through a significant increase in patronage, which is unlikely given the competition from numerous casinos in the immediate area.
We believe that this move will result in substantially higher revenues for the State of New Mexico, larger purses for horsemen, and more racing days—all of which will positively impact the horse racing industry across New Mexico.
