Wall finisher Willie Madera applies plaster Thursday to a wall inside the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, N.M. Cash from Indian gaming in the state is helping tribes build housing, clinics, schools, roads. Critics today claim that casino gambling is draining the economy of some New Mexico communities. Cash from gaming is helping tribes build housing, clinics, schools, roads. It's all providing jobs, construction jobs, facility jobs.
Numbers tell part of the story.
Tribal business is growing. The 350-room hotel has three restaurants and the spa offers herbal wraps, facials and massages in 14 treatment rooms. We continue to grow that weekly. It's exceeding targets. The resort will mean more than 400 jobs, tribal administrator Roy Montoya said.