A southern New Mexico casino and horse-racing venue is planning to lay off more than 250 employees in September, state records show.
Earlier this summer, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino submitted a letter to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, in compliance with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, announcing plans to lay off 259 employees. The date for the layoffs is listed as Sept. 20, according to the state workforce department.
The racetrack, located just west of the Texas border, opened its doors in 1959. In the 1990s, with the horse-racing industry in decline, New Mexico legislators allowed slot machines at Sunland Park and other racetracks, according to the company’s website.
Depending on the season, the facility employs between 500 and 600 people, according to the website.
Representatives from Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino did not return a call seeking comment.
Through Monday, 23 employers have filed WARN notices in New Mexico in 2020, more than the prior two years combined.
BW Gas & Convenience Holdings, which operates the Allsup’s convenience store chain, submitted a letter announcing 19 employees in Clovis will be let go in September. Albuquerque Publishing Co., which prints the Journal, notified the state of plans to lay off 64 employees as part of an effort to shift printing operations to Santa Fe.
