Saturday, March 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
"It means I have a job," the 27-year-old Albuquerque native said Friday.
"And I get to keep the motorcycle I bought yesterday," Johns added.
Blackjack dealers, security guards, roulette dealers and casino patrons breathed a collective sigh of relief Friday after the bill that seemed dead Thursday night was resurrected and sent to the Senate for reapproval.
The House action Friday did not necessarily mean gambling would be legalized. It simply gave the issue another chance before adjournment at noon Saturday.
State and federal courts have ruled the compacts that would have allowed New Mexico Indian gambling invalid. Without legislative approval, casinos in New Mexico would have to close.
Roulette dealer Brian Pascetti, 23, took the whole gambling issue for granted until he heard of the 35-35 tie in the House that appeared to have killed the measure Thursday night.
"I thought it would pass," he said.
When it didn't, he said, he feared he would soon be out of a job.
Friday's turnaround by the House occurred about 3 p.m., while Pascetti was in the middle of his shift. When informed of the bill's new life, he echoed the sentiment of most workers at the casino.
"I get to keep my job," Pascetti said.
And casino patrons said they were happy they get to keep gambling.
"If I wasn't doing this, I'd be baby-sitting or running my business," Florence Wasson, 67, said as she pumped dollar tokens into a slot machine.
The Sandia Casino is five minutes away from Ms. Wasson's Albuquerque home.
Casino customer Scott Palmer said he had been most concerned about the 800 workers at the casino who would have lost their jobs if gambling wasn't legalized.
"This industry created all these jobs, and you can't take it away," Palmer said.
Larry Willey, 69, agreed with Palmer.
"They all have a job to do and they have to support their families," he said of the casino workers. Willey has been known to play chess with blackjack dealers during their breaks.
Casino General Manger Steve Simon said the House turnaround probably means the casino can move ahead with plans to build a permanent building for Las Vegas-style gambling instead of the pueblo's huge-white inflatable tent.
"We've had to put everything on hold," Simon said. "But the greatest part of all this is we saved 800 jobs."
archive
