The casino closest to New Mexico's capital is next door to the Santa Fe Opera. When the Pueblo of Tesuque opened Tesuque Casino in late 2018, it built beside the opera house, consulted the company through planning, put its large car park between the two buildings and fitted low-intensity lighting to keep the night sky dark, trade magazine Global Gaming Business reported. It replaced the pueblo's older Camel Rock Casino, which had run for 23 years at roughly half the size. That neighbourly design choice sums up gaming around Santa Fe: pueblo-run floors scattered up the US 84/285 corridor, each with a different character, and none downtown.
The floors, north and south of the city
Drive times are approximate, from the Plaza in normal traffic.
| Casino | Run by | Approx. drive | Notable for |
| Tesuque Casino | Pueblo of Tesuque | About 15 minutes north | 700+ slots, live blackjack and roulette, smoke-free |
| Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino | Pueblo of Pojoaque | About 15 minutes north (the resort's figure) | Hilton hotel, 27-hole golf, Native art collection |
| Cities of Gold Casino | Pueblo of Pojoaque | About 20 minutes north | Nearly 500 slots, bowling, 124 rooms |
| Santa Claran Casino Resort | Santa Clara Pueblo | About 40 minutes north, Española | 650 slots, 24 bowling lanes, 18-hole golf |
| Ohkay Hotel Casino | Ohkay Owingeh | About 45 minutes north | 24 hours, nightclub, RV park |
| Black Mesa Casino | Pueblo of San Felipe | About 35 minutes south, I-25 Exit 252 | Slots and electronic tables |
Tesuque Casino
The windows are the point here: the building was designed with walls of glass facing the Sangre de Cristo foothills, where the pueblo says its people have lived since as early as 1200 AD. Inside are more than 700 slots and live blackjack and roulette, all smoke-free. Cottonwood Kitchen serves Southwest dishes from an open kitchen, with a 75-seat patio. RVs may park, without hookups, after checking in with security. For a pre-opera dinner or a post-show hour, nothing else is as close.
Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino
The Pueblo of Pojoaque's flagship opened in 2008 and now trades as Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder. It is the area's full resort: the 27-hole Towa Golf Course, the Wo'P'in Spa with Native American-inspired treatments, and five dining and entertainment venues under one roof. The casino has its own address at 30 Buffalo Thunder Trail, next to the hotel at number 20. Spend a few minutes in the public spaces before you sit down; the resort displays hundreds of works of Native art, from pottery and weavings to sculpture, representing every tribe in New Mexico.
Cities of Gold
The Pojoaque sister property sits close by and is the smaller, simpler option: nearly 500 slots, bowling, the Golden Cantina Lounge and 124 hotel rooms with mountain views. Guests get a shuttle to Buffalo Thunder, so it can double as a base for the bigger resort.
Casinos in Española, New Mexico
Española has one casino inside the town and a second a few minutes up the road.
Santa Claran Casino Resort, at 460 North Riverside Drive, is the Española casino. Santa Clara Pueblo runs 650 reel and video slots on a 27,000 square foot floor, with a sportsbook bar, the 24-lane Big Rock Bowling Center and the 18-hole Black Mesa Golf Club, which the resort describes as desert golf. Hotel rooms range from double queens to suites.
Ohkay Hotel Casino, on Highway 68 at Ohkay Owingeh just north of town, is open 24 hours a day. It has the Harvest Buffet, Coyote Cantina and a coffee counter, the Double O Bar & Nightclub, a seasonal outdoor pool, and an RV park with full hookups. The hotel looks across the Rio Grande Valley to the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains.
South: Black Mesa
Heading toward Albuquerque, the Pueblo of San Felipe's Black Mesa Casino sits on I-25 at Exit 252, about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. It was renamed from San Felipe Casino as part of a remodel, and offers multi-denomination slots with electronic blackjack, craps and roulette.
Further out
Taos Mountain Casino, run by Taos Pueblo, is the next floor north, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation's Apache Nugget sits off US 550 near Cuba. Our New Mexico casinos guide covers both, and our Albuquerque guide picks up where Black Mesa leaves off.
Choosing one
For an evening tied to the opera or the city, Tesuque. For a weekend with golf and a spa, Buffalo Thunder. For bowling with the family, Cities of Gold or Santa Claran. For a late night, Ohkay, which advertises 24-hour opening.
A Santa Fe evening at home
If none of the six suits the night, sweepstakes casinos are the online alternative many New Mexicans use, played with free promotional coins. Our ranking of New Mexico sweepstakes casinos covers the platforms open to the state.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a casino in downtown Santa Fe?
Not downtown. The nearest is Tesuque Casino, about 15 minutes north next to the Santa Fe Opera.
Is there a casino in Española, New Mexico?
Yes. Santa Claran Casino Resort is on North Riverside Drive, and Ohkay Hotel Casino is just north on Highway 68.
What happened to Camel Rock Casino?
The Pueblo of Tesuque replaced it with Tesuque Casino in 2018.
Which casino near Santa Fe has golf?
Buffalo Thunder (27 holes at Towa) and Santa Claran (18 holes at Black Mesa Golf Club).
