By Mark Smith
Enchantment Sports
Editor in Chief
We are all in this together.
We at Enchantment Sports know that. So do our sponsors.
It didn’t take government mandates to do what’s right.
While other New Mexico casinos kept the doors open last week, the state’s best casino and sportsbook (“The Book”) were ahead of the curve and made public safety their priority.
We are proud to say that Route 66 Casino, one of our primary sponsors, was one of the first businesses in the state to address the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis and is making a major push to help educate the public about staying safe.
Last Tuesday, Laguna Development Corporation’s (LDC) Route 66 Casino Hotel voluntarily closed its doors and soon started posting health and safety and thank you messages on their electronic highway billboard signs around the city.
“Thousands of Albuquerque residents have supported Route 66 by enjoying our gaming, entertainment and dining offerings for more than twenty years,” said Trevor Taylor, marketing director at Route 66. “Now we have an opportunity to demonstrate our thanks and loyalty to the community by providing these powerful communication tools to thank the hospitals, doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers and all the other first responders who are bravely on the front lines of this public health emergency.”
Route 66 is still advertising on local radio stations — but to promote safety, not itself.
Heat the spot below:
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LDC’s Route 66 Travel Centers at Exits 140 and 108, west of Interstate 40, are open. Both locations offer gas and diesel fuel, convenience stores and Dairy Queens. Each DQ is providing take-out only and the location at Exit 108 also offers drive-thru service.
At Dancing Eagle Casino Exit 108, the Great American Diner is open for take-out.
In Casa Blanca, a community on the Pueblo of Laguna, the Market Place @ Dancing Eagle grocery store remains open to help provide Laguna community members with food and supplies. Quantity purchase limits are in place.
The company’s 66 Pit Stop locations at Exit 140 and in Laguna Village at Exit 114 are open to provide gasoline and convenience store services. The Laguna Burger restaurants at each of those locations remain open for take-out only.
The Laguna Burger on 12th Street in Albuquerque is open for takeout and delivery orders only.
The Route 66 RV Resort at Exit 140 I-40 is currently open.
All open businesses are being operated with strict protocols for the health and safety of employees and customers.
LDC continues to evaluate the status of all businesses on a daily basis and said it will take whatever steps are necessary to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic while making every effort to provide essential public services.
On Tuesday (March 24), Route 66 Casino Hotel stepped up again and delivered essential food products to help feed Pueblo of Laguna school children during these times.
Enchantment Sports appreciates the steps LDC and the Route 66 Casino Hotel for the steps they have taken and encourages the public to keep that in mind when we all get through these horrific times.
Mark Smith has worked in New Mexico sports media for more than four 
decades, and is one of the most decorated sports journalists in state history. Smith has won more than 30 combined awards in print, television and radio and has been honored nationally for investigative reporting. He is the editor in chief of Enchantment Sports. Contact him at mark.enchantmentsportsNM@gmail.com.
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