Wild Horse Casino
Wild Horse Casino was a tribal casino and hotel in Dulce, New Mexico, operated for the Jicarilla Apache Nation by Apache Nugget Corporation.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Wild Horse Casino was a gaming and hospitality property in Dulce, New Mexico, at the junction of Highway 64 and Hawks Drive. The casino served the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the surrounding community and was operated by Apache Nugget Corporation, the Nation’s gaming-management enterprise. Apache Nugget Corporation is described as a for-profit federally chartered Section 17 corporation owned by the Jicarilla Apache Nation and responsible for overseeing the Nation’s gaming activity. The property’s documented history includes a reopening on February 5, 2007, following a substantial renovation and expansion. After that work, the casino combined electronic gaming, table games, poker, food service, retail facilities, and lodging. Its reported gaming floor contained approximately 184 slot machines, one roulette table, two blackjack tables, and a poker room. Additional amenities included a restaurant, gift and smoke shop, players club, and a 41-room hotel. Wild Horse Casino was an important local economic institution in Dulce, the headquarters of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. The property’s role extended beyond gaming: its hotel and food-and-beverage operations supported visitors, while the casino provided employment and commercial activity in a relatively remote community. Public descriptions characterized it as one of the area’s principal economic drivers. The casino temporarily closed in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Reference material indicates that the property was closed about 2020, and it is therefore treated in this dossier as defunct rather than as an active casino. The available material does not establish a precise permanent-closure date, explain the full circumstances of the closure, or document a successor operation. It also does not provide reliable information about named executives, revenue, financial performance, advertising campaigns, or later ownership changes.
History
Wild Horse Casino was located in Dulce, New Mexico, the headquarters community of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Its setting at the junction of Highway 64 and Hawks Drive placed the property within the Nation’s principal administrative and commercial center. The casino formed part of the Jicarilla Apache Nation’s economic-development activities and was operated by Apache Nugget Corporation, commonly identified as ANC. Apache Nugget Corporation oversees gaming activity for the Jicarilla Apache Nation. It is described as a for-profit federally chartered Section 17 corporation owned by the Nation, giving Wild Horse Casino an organizational connection to the Nation rather than to a publicly traded commercial casino group. Available reference material states that ANC had been in existence since 2003, although the precise relationship between that date and the original opening of Wild Horse Casino is not documented. A major documented turning point came in 2007, when the casino reopened on February 5 after a complete renovation and expansion. The improved property operated as a combined casino and hotel rather than solely as a gaming venue. Its listed facilities included approximately 184 slot machines, one roulette table, two blackjack tables, and a poker room. The property also offered a restaurant, a gift and smoke shop, a players club, and a 41-room hotel. The casino was described as one of the main economic drivers of the Dulce area. Its importance reflected the limited scale and geographic remoteness of the local economy, where a combined gaming, lodging, and hospitality property could attract visitors while providing services and employment for the surrounding community. The available sources do not provide audited financial figures, employment totals, visitor counts, or detailed information about the casino’s marketing program. Wild Horse Casino closed in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Reference material subsequently describes it as having closed about 2020. The sources supplied for this entry do not establish whether the closure began as a temporary public-health measure and later became permanent, nor do they identify a formal closure announcement or a successor brand. On the available evidence, the property is recorded as defunct, with its final operating date left unspecified.
- 2020
Pandemic-related closure
[1]The casino closed in March during the coronavirus pandemic. Available reference material indicates that it was closed around 2020.
- 2007
Reopening after renovation and expansion
[1]Wild Horse Casino reopened on February 5 after a complete renovation and expansion, adding or improving the facilities associated with its casino and hotel operations.
- 2003
Apache Nugget Corporation established
[1]Apache Nugget Corporation, the federally chartered Section 17 corporation that operated the casino and oversaw gaming for the Jicarilla Apache Nation, is described as having been in existence since 2003.
Products and positioning
A tribal gaming and hospitality property serving the Jicarilla Apache Nation, local residents, and visitors to Dulce, with casino gaming, hotel accommodation, dining, and related guest services.
Casino gaming
Slot-machine gaming
The casino’s gaming floor reportedly included approximately 184 slot machines, making electronic gaming the largest documented component of the property’s casino offering.
Casino gaming
Table games
Wild Horse Casino offered roulette and blackjack, with reference material listing one roulette table and two blackjack tables.
Casino gaming
Poker room
A dedicated poker room complemented the casino’s slot and table-game operations and provided a separate setting for poker play.
Hospitality
Wild Horse Casino Hotel
The property included a 41-room hotel, allowing the casino to operate as a combined gaming and lodging destination for visitors to Dulce and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.
Hospitality and retail
Restaurant and retail facilities
Supporting facilities included a restaurant, a gift and smoke shop, and players-club services. These amenities broadened the property’s role beyond gaming and supported both local and visiting customers.
Brand decisions
2020
Coronavirus-related suspension of operationsOtherBackground
The coronavirus pandemic led the casino to suspend operations in March 2020.
Action taken
Wild Horse Casino closed in response to the pandemic.
Aftermath
Reference material indicates that the property was closed about 2020, but does not specify the precise permanent-closure date or subsequent operating status.
2007
Renovation and expansion of the casino propertyStrategyBackground
The property underwent a complete renovation and expansion before reopening in February 2007.
Action taken
Wild Horse Casino reopened on February 5, 2007, with casino gaming, hospitality, dining, retail, and hotel facilities.
Aftermath
The expanded property operated as a significant gaming and hospitality venue in Dulce. The available sources do not provide investment figures or measured financial results.
Recent events
- 2020
Wild Horse Casino closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic[1]
Other
The casino closed in March 2020 as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Reference material indicates that the property remained closed around 2020.
- 2007
Wild Horse Casino reopened after renovation and expansion[1]
Other
Wild Horse Casino reopened in Dulce on February 5, 2007, following a complete renovation and expansion of the property.
Sources2 sources
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