Full House Resorts proposed to the New Mexico Racing Commission to build “La Posada del Llano,” a destination resort that will include a racetrack, a casino, a luxury hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a water park and other amenities on the plains of eastern New Mexico. The Las Vegas-based company operates five casino and related hospitality and entertainment facilities throughout the United States. The development proposal was submitted in response to the New Mexico Racing Commission’s competitive process for the state’s sixth racing license.
“We believe that eastern New Mexico has tremendous potential to attract visitors from throughout the area, including from nearby Amarillo, Lubbock, and other parts of western Texas,” Daniel R. Lee, president and CEO of Full House Resorts, said in a statement. “We are proposing to build an entire regional destination resort, entailing much more than just a racetrack and casino. Such a development will produce more jobs, more development, greater tax revenues and larger horse racing purses, while also becoming a major attraction and amenity for the region.”
Uniquely designed for the hotel is a “moving grandstand.” Similar to a tram or streetcar, the moving grandstand would consist of stadium seating for hundreds of guests that would travel at the same speed as the racehorses, circling the track and offering spectators a close-up view of the horses for the entirety of the race.
“In a typical race, spectators in the grandstand only see two brief moments of a race—its start and the closing seconds at the finish line. Our moving grandstand changes that, allowing spectators to race side-by-side with the horses for every dramatic second of the race," Lee said in a statement. "By reinventing the viewing experience, we intend to open horse racing to a new generation of fans.”
The development will also include an RV park, a water park located in the track’s infield and five miles of recreational riding trails.
“We wanted to design a facility that the city of Clovis—and really, the entire state of New Mexico—can be proud of,” Lee said in a statement. “La Posada del Llano will attract a broad range of guests—those who enjoy a quality racetrack, those whose interest is piqued by our unique set of amenities and even those who are interested in family entertainment. We are committed to building a project that will provide a luxury experience and complement the unique historic character of the area. We believe it will help transform Clovis into a year-round tourist destination.”
La Posada del Llano pays homage to the Hispanic heritage and population of the region. “La Posada” means “The Inn” in Spanish and the region is known as the “Llano Estacado,” which translates to “short-grass plains.” The Full House management team previously developed L’Auberge du Lac, a casino resort in Louisiana. “L’Auberge du Lac” means “The Inn on the Lake,” paying homage to the French cultural history of Louisiana.