Most New Mexicans oppose revenue-share reduction

Thursday, March 23, 2000 | 10 a.m.

Some 56 percent of New Mexicans questioned in a poll commissioned by the Albuquerque Journal oppose reducing revenue-sharing to 7.5 percent, while 30 percent support the idea, the newspaper reported in a copyright story in today's editions. Eight percent of those polled had mixed feelings and 6 percent were undecided or would not say.

A majority of New Mexicans also opposed expanding non-Indian gambling in the state. It has been proposed to expand the off-reservation gambling if some tribes refuse to pay the required percentage of their slot machine revenue.

Tribes agreed in 1997 to pay 16 percent of their casino slot machine revenue to the state. The tribes, however, have always argued that percentage is too high, and only three of the 11 gambling tribes have made full payments.

Tribes have sought in recent negotiations to lower revenue-sharing to 7.5 percent.

"A slight majority of people think we should stick to it (the original figure)," said Brian Sanderoff, head of Research and Polling Inc., which did the poll for the Journal. The random telephone sample of 408 registered voters March 14-16 has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Sanderoff said voters' attitudes toward gambling cut across party lines. For example, 56 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans oppose reducing revenue-sharing rates.

Some 59 percent of voters questioned opposed allowing more off-reservation gambling if some tribes have not made their payments to the state. The state currently limits non-Indian gambling, thus giving the tribes partial exclusivity, in exchange for the revenue-sharing.

"In a way, this is backhanded good news for the Indians in the sense that people don't want more off-reservation casinos just to make you pay your fair share," Sanderoff said.

Thirty-one percent of those polled supported expanded off-reservation gambling, 5 percent were undecided and another 5 percent did not know or would not answer.

A large majority of New Mexicans want tribal casino financial records and audits to be public.

Some 81 percent said the records should be public. Twelve percent said they should not be public and that only state regulators should be allowed to view them. Two percent said they had mixed feelings and 5 percent were undecided.