Ever since the first race was run at Ruidoso Downs Race Track in 1947, fast horses were the name of our game... That is, until a new era of racing began with the legalization of slot machine based casino gaming at race tracks. The Billy the Kid Casino opened in May of 1999 and has since been the place to be for casino fun! Billy the Kid Casino is open daily and houses over 300 slot machines! Racing in the mountains takes place annually from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend.