Sports Gambling, Push for Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Law, The Line Reacts to Nuisance Businesses

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Antonia Gonzales looks at sports gambling, with a focus on Isleta Resort and Casino. A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door for previously banned commercial sports betting, and a number of New Mexico tribes have opened sports books at their casinos. Ms. Gonzales examines how and why Isleta Pueblo chose to open its sports book, what business is like, and what other tribes are weighing before they act.

Correspondent Gwyneth Doland travels to Santa Fe to talk to lawmakers about the push for an extreme risk firearm protection order law. The controversial bills, sometimes referred to as “red flag” measures, would let the state temporarily take a gun from someone found by a court to be a danger to themselves or the community. Doland speaks to lawmakers who both favor and oppose such a law.

Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel debate the worth of an agreement between two “nuisance” convenience stores and the city of Albuquerque. The stores have agreed to stop selling alcohol in mini and pint-sized bottles and to better self-police their properties. The Line also examines the progress of Senate Bill 115, the cannabis legalization bill, that passed its first committee along party lines on Tuesday. For the final topic, The Line looks at New Mexico’s problem with a backlog of wage theft complaints linked to the enforcement of the state’s minimum wage law.

Host:
Gene Grant

Correspondents:
Gwyneth Doland
Antonia Gonzales

Studio Guests: Edward Calabaza, former Isleta Tribal Council member
Staci Chafins, Isleta Casino Player Development Manager

Field Guests: Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez, (D) Albuquerque
Rep. Bill Rehm, (R) Albuquerque
Rep. Joy Garratt, (D) Albuquerque

Line Panelists: Merritt Allen, Vox Optima
Michael Barrio, executive director, Prosperity Works
Dan Foley, former state representative
Sophie Martin, attorney