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The big jackpot is in no
danger of going away any time soon. Casinos throughout the
Four Corners are enjoying continued success. Both the Sky
Ute and Ute
Mountain Casinos have major expansions planned./Photo by
Todd Newcomer.. |
Gambling is big business in
the Four Corners. Each year between 1995-1999, the Southern
Ute and the Ute Mountain Indian tribes’ casinos funneled
between $29 and $33 million into local and state economies,
according to a socio-economic report issued by the state in
2000. And although the tribes don’t reveal their finances,
the trend appears to be continuing and even improving as both
the Sky Ute and Ute Mountain casinos have expansions in the
works.
The Ute Mountain Indian Tribe was the first to open an Indian
gaming establishment in Colorado when the Ute Mountain Casino
was built 10 miles south of Cortez in late 1992. The Southern
Ute Indian Tribe opened the Sky Ute Casino & Lodge in Ignacio,
25 miles southeast of Durango, a year later. Colorado voters’
1990 approval of gambling in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek inadvertently
paved the way for the Sky Ute and Ute Mountain casinos.
“There’s a federal law that allows tribes the same
form of gambling allowed in other parts of the state,”
said Don Burmania, communications director with the Colorado
Division of Gaming.
Since opening, the Sky Ute Casino has grown to include more
than 400 slot and video poker machines, six tables featuring
blackjack and three-card poker, and a bingo parlor. Sky Ute
abides by the Colorado maximum bet of $5 and still has been
very profitable, according to General Manager Conrad Granito.
However, the casino is only a small part of the Southern Ute
Indian Tribe’s financial portfolio, which is primarily
dominated by oil and gas.
“When you look at the casino, we do provide employment
for the area, but we’re not the tribe’s main economic
engine,” Granito said. “We’re only about 8
or 9 percent of the overall budget. Still, we do make money.”
Near Towaoc, the Ute Mountain Casino boasts more than 500 slot
and video poker machines, blackjack and three-card poker tables,
numerous other poker offerings, and a 400-seat bingo parlor.
As to the casino’s success, tribal attorney Peter Ortego
commented, “On most nights, including week nights, the
parking lot is packed. It’s hard to imagine that the casino’s
not bringing large amounts of money into Montezuma County.”
Area gamblers also have a third choice in Farmington’s
Sun Ray Casino, a nontribal casino whose existence is enabled
by the existence of a horse track. “In order to have a
casino in New Mexico, you have to have a race track,”
said Anthony Montano, Sun Ray marketing director.
In addition to a race track, the casino boasts 485 slot and
video poker machines and a theater featuring horse-racing simulcasts.
Like the tribal casinos, Sun Ray has not been suffering from
a lack of business. Montano commented, “The casino’s
absolutely doing really well.”
Granito of the Sky Ute Casino, said that while all the casinos
in the area have fairly competitive offerings, they don’t
really compete head to head. Instead, as the closest casino
to Durango, the Sky Ute goes up against other local entertainment
offerings.
“We just don’t compete with Sun Ray or Ute Mountain,”
Granito said. “We’re an entertainment choice. We
compete for discretionary funding. We’re looking for that
extra $50 that might be spent on dinner and a movie or bowling
or other entertainment.”
Unlike many other forms of local entertainment, gambling frequently
brings related crime with it. Colorado’s socio-economic
study in 2000 noted that the Sky Ute and Ute Mountain Casinos
have not necessarily been immune to increases in crime. The
report found increases in arrest incidences, substance abuse,
traffic violations and car accidents.
However, according to La Plata County Sheriff’s Lt. Dan
Bender, the increases in crime as a result of Sky Ute have been
relatively minor. “It’s an entertainment venue,
and we don’t have any more crimes associated with it than
with similar venues. It’s not a problem area for the Sheriff’s
Office.”
Bender added, “We do have some incidents of theft, trespass
and the types of crime typically associated with entertainment,
but no more so than any other venue.”
Granito said that Sky Ute and Southern Ute tribe are diligent
about keeping problems out of the casino.
“We hand out the Gamblers Anonymous numbers and train
our people to spot problems,” he said. “In general,
we’ve seen no increase in crime, and we’ve even
seen drops in certain areas.”
Ortego of the Ute Mountain Tribe, said that the absence of
alcohol in the casinos helps keep crime to a minimum. “We
don’t serve alcohol, and that’s always been a major
problem with most casinos,” he said. “They lure
people there and keep them there for a reason.”
Perhaps the largest testament to local casinos’ success
in avoiding problems is the lack of any local or even regional
support groups for problem gamblers in spite of the high density
of gambling options.
Karen H., international executive secretary for Gamblers Anonymous,
did not use her full name because of group policy. She said
that her organization is overwhelmed by people seeking help.
“Gambling is popping up everywhere,” she said. “We’ve
tripled our meetings in the last eight years, and we’re
constantly getting inundated with phone calls.”
As to the absence of a support group for the Four Corners,
she commented, “It’s probably not indicative of
an absence of a problem. It’s probably just that nobody’s
taken the initiative to set up a group.”
Regardless, demand for and interest in gambling is on the rise
in the Four Corners. Both the Sky Ute and Ute Mountain casinos
are responding with plans to meet increasing demand. Sky Ute
is working to create a satellite casino at Capote Lake, a long
empty reservoir between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs. The Southern
Ute Tribe is hoping to tap into more RV business as efforts
go forward to refill the reservoir.
“It’s being looked at as we speak,” Granito
said.
Meanwhile, the Ute Mountain Casino is working to build a new
convention center and hotel.
As Ortego noted comfortably, “I think we are all anticipating
that we’ll have more business in the future than we have
now.”