SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first major study in more than a decade of compulsive gambling in New Mexico is being commissioned by an association of American Indian tribes that run casinos.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the industry-funded Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico is financing a study designed to combat problem gambling in New Mexico.
The study will examine gambling behavior among adolescents and adults across New Mexico with a focus on economically vulnerable populations. It is being carried out by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
A 2006 study of problem gambling in New Mexico estimated as many as 15,000 women and 24,000 men had compulsive or pathological behavior.
In the 1990s, New Mexico legalized slot machines at tribal casinos, horse-racing track, and veterans and fraternal clubs.