An application for a proposed horse-racing track and casino in the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., was officially filed on Friday, reports the Quay County Sun.
Coronado Partners is the group applying for the state licenses. The racetrack and casino, called Coronado Park, would be on Route 66.
Coronado Park would sport a one-mile racetrack and 600 slot machines. It would employ 300 full-time workers, and partner with Mesalands Community College in town for job-training.
I suspect Tucumcari has a good shot at landing the “racino.” It’s a poor town that’s been bleeding population for decades, and an infusion of tourists and tax receipts would be most welcome. It’s too far from Albuquerque for the casino there to be worried about competition.
I’m generally ambivalent about casinos. But a big development like Coronado Park is something Tucumcari has needed for a long, long time. And don’t think that all those vintage Route 66 motels in town wouldn’t benefit from the new influx of visitors.