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Sandia marks its 41st bingo anniversary with big renovation
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Sandia Pueblo Gov. Esquipula Chavez and Lt. Gov. Edward Paisano cut a ribbon opening a giant white tent west of Interstate 25 and north of Roy Road, under an arched sign with red lettering that read: Casino Sandia. The year was 1984, and Sandia Pueblo was pioneering bingo gambling on its lands 17 years before Native tribes would sign compacts with the federal government, officially allowing games on Indigenous lands.
Excited patrons entered the tent “for the first time to hear letters and numbers announced and mark their bingo card,” said Joanie Griffin, the emcee at a July 3 ribbon cutting ceremony, which marked the reopening of the Bingo Hall. “What ensued was the foundation of new friends, fellowship, fun and the landmark for what is now Sandia Resort & Casino.”
Fast forward 41 years and the current Pueblo of Sandia leaders, Gov. Frank Chaves and Lt. Gov. Angelo Paisano, the sons of those men back in 1984, stood in front of a sprawling nearly 110,000-square-foot facility to cut a ribbon reopening a newly renovated 6,956-foot Bingo Hall that seats 400 players, averaging 7,500 players a month.
The Bingo Hall alone, in the southeast corner of the casino, employs 16 people and boasts upgraded furniture and paint, bingo systems, TVs and flashboards. This renovation comes on top of a $100 million renovation of the casino, hotel, restaurants and spa that occurred during the Covid pandemic. That remodel also saw the addition of a wing that included a new Sportsbook and sports bar.
While we may think of bingo as grandma’s game, it is the foundation that built Sandia Resort & Casino into the biggest in the state. “Today, we celebrate that legacy with an updated Bingo Room featuring the latest bingo technology and a renewed energy for bingo devotees young and… younger!” Griffin joked.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the Sandia Pool will feature a DJ from noon–4 p.m. with bingo beach balls for patrons to enjoy. At dusk each night, the venue will be showing the movie “Bingo” on the large video wall. It is about the misadventures of a precarious dog at Sandia Pool. There will be a couple of private VIP receptions for bingo aficionados, and while supplies last, special bingo-themed cookies will be offered at the Players Club to all guests.
The Bingo Hall will be open daily 12:30-6:45 p.m. It offers an array of jackpots ranging from $4,000-$50,000 and a new in-house Progressive Buffalo Stampede is coming soon.
