Racing Commission to Consider SunRay Park Racino Move amid San Juan Opposition

The New Mexico Racing Commission heard public testimony Friday as it weighs Western Gaming’s request to relocate the SunRay Park racino from Farmington to Clovis, a proposal that has drawn organized support from Curry County interests and firm opposition from San Juan County officials and competing racino operators. Commissioners scheduled a final vote at a special meeting Feb. 10 at NMRC headquarters, 4900 Alameda Blvd. NE., Albuquerque.

The hearing, held at Central New Mexico Community College at 9 a.m., featured presentations from Western Gaming, Zia Park of Hobbs and San Juan County commissioners. Reports list the CNM campus address as 717 University Blvd. SE, though one notice gave 717 University Drive S; members of the public were told verbal comments would be taken in person only. “Commissioners plan to take a final vote on the issue at a special Feb. 10 meeting at NMRC headquarters, 4900 Alameda Blvd. NE., Albuquerque,” Bustamante said, and “Both meetings are public and will be live-streamed online, according to Bustamante.”

The procedural history behind the hearing is lengthy. The Commission endorsed moving one of five racino licenses from Farmington to Clovis last October, but a planned Dec. 22 vote in Clovis was postponed while SunRay Park & Casino revised its relocation application at the request of the Commission’s attorney. NMRC Executive Director Izzy Trejo noted the timeline remains uncertain: “The earliest commissioners could meet now to consider the relocation is ‘early February,’ but it could also be ‘much later.’” Trejo added, “The NMRC has ‘been in receipt of many passionate public comments from (Clovis and Farmington).’ ‘That’s why we go through this process.’”

Economic analyses are central to the dispute. A Convergence Strategy Group feasibility study projected each of three Clovis proposals would generate $51 million to $66 million in state revenue, with Tucumcari forecast at $42 million and a Lordsburg proposal at $15 million. Hidalgo Downs LLC, which proposed a Lordsburg site, challenged the study’s findings and sought a temporary injunction, raising the risk of litigation after any decision. The study also estimated a green-lit project would take one to two years to build.

Locally, Clovis leaders moved quickly to marshal support; the Clovis city commission unanimously approved a letter backing the move and Gayla Brumfield, former Clovis mayor, confirmed the Clovis Curry Chamber of Commerce is organizing buses to bring supporters to Albuquerque. San Juan County commissioners and operators such as Zia Park oppose the relocation, and at least one Clovis resident has argued the city would bear infrastructure and public safety costs while most revenue flows to the state.

For San Juan County residents, the stakes are fiscal and practical: a relocated racino would shift regional gaming revenues, alter local employment prospects and potentially change demands on roads and emergency services. The NMRC’s Feb. 10 vote will not end uncertainty; the Attorney General’s office has signaled it would not defend the Commission if sued, and applicants have already disputed the study that underpins revenue projections. Residents who want to follow the outcome should note the Feb. 10 meeting at NMRC headquarters is listed as the final decision point and can monitor the Commission for confirmed livestream details and any updates to meeting locations.