Maine is ready to grow to be the eighth U.S. state to authorize real-money on-line on line casino gaming after Gov. Janet Mills introduced Thursday that she is going to enable LD 1164 handed final session to take impact with out her signature.
“I thought of this invoice fastidiously, and whereas I’ve considerations concerning the impacts of playing on public well being, I imagine that this new type of playing must be regulated,” Mills wrote in a press release saying her choice, “and I’m assured that Maine’s Playing Management Unit will develop accountable guidelines and requirements to carry suppliers of this new type of playing accountable whereas making certain that Maine’s tribes profit from its operations.”
The regulation grants Maine’s 4 federally acknowledged tribes unique rights to function on-line on line casino gaming, with every tribe permitted to associate with one third-party operator. Two of the tribes have already aligned with Caesars and DraftKings, giving these corporations an early benefit if and when iGaming launches within the state. DraftKings was among the many restricted variety of operators that testified in assist of the laws.
There is no such thing as a official launch timeline. Implementation will rely upon the event of regulatory guidelines and licensing approvals, a course of anticipated to take months. That might be quick, contemplating that throughout the pond, the method of building a complete authorized framework for on-line UK on line casino and the Playing Act 2005 being totally operational took roughly two years. That being stated, one is a state, the opposite a complete nation, so the size is sort of totally different.
Tribal-Solely Framework Attracts Business and Regulatory Pushback
The invoice superior regardless of objections from the Maine Playing Management Board, which oversees the Playing Management Unit however wouldn’t regulate iGaming below the brand new regulation. In a letter despatched to the governor final month, the board warned that the tribal-only construction may harm Maine’s present on line casino business.
“Reducing out Oxford and Hollywood Casinos totally from providing iGaming is ill-advised and creates a monopoly that’s dangerous to shoppers and the Maine employees employed by Oxford and Hollywood Casinos,” the board wrote. “Moreover, eradicating on line casino video games from the regulatory authority of the Playing Management Board violates Maine regulation and renders the Board successfully ineffective.”
A number of main business operators additionally opposed the invoice, together with FanDuel, Fanatics, and BetMGM. FanDuel’s Michael Ventre testified final 12 months that the proposal “wouldn’t create the wholesome, regulated market that we’ve seen in lots of different states.”
Maine’s two business casinos — Oxford On line casino Resort & Sportsbook and Hollywood On line casino Bangor — had been among the many most vocal opponents. Churchill Downs, which operates Oxford On line casino, is a member of the Nationwide Affiliation In opposition to iGaming, an advocacy group that claims robust public opposition to on-line on line casino growth.
Mills Cites Tribal Sovereignty and Financial Impression
Mills’ choice marked a shift from her prior stance on playing growth. She has repeatedly expressed skepticism about including new types of playing throughout her time in workplace. That place softened after conferences with tribal leaders.
“This fall, I met with the 5 elected Chiefs of the Wabanaki Nations, who every spoke passionately concerning the significance of this invoice in providing life-changing income for Tribal communities, in addition to offering a type of financial sovereignty for his or her Nations,” Mills stated. “I thought of this invoice fastidiously, and whereas I’ve considerations concerning the impacts of playing on public well being, I imagine that this new type of playing must be regulated, and I’m assured that Maine’s Playing Management Unit will develop accountable guidelines and requirements to carry suppliers of this new type of playing accountable whereas making certain that Maine’s tribes profit from its operations.”
Mills added that it has “at all times been my robust need to work with Tribal leaders to enhance the lives and livelihoods of the Wabanaki Nations.”
Beneath the laws, on-line casinos will share a portion of their gross gaming income with the state, with funds earmarked for drawback playing providers, emergency response packages, opioid use dysfunction therapy, veterans’ properties, housing reduction, and administrative prices.
Nationwide iGaming Debate Continues Past Maine
Maine’s transfer comes as a number of different states revisit on-line on line casino laws in 2026. Lawmakers in New York and Virginia have reintroduced proposals that failed to realize traction in prior classes. If permitted, New York would create essentially the most profitable iGaming market within the nation.
Virginia lawmakers are additionally renewing efforts after shelving the same push final 12 months. Their proposal would enable every of the state’s 5 licensed casinos to function as much as three cellular on line casino partnerships.
These efforts be part of ongoing discussions in Ohio, Massachusetts, and Illinois, the place iGaming has confronted repeated political and regulatory hurdles. Whereas 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have legalized some type of sports activities betting, on-line on line casino gaming has confirmed far harder to go.
Seven states presently enable real-money iGaming, although solely a handful function aggressive markets. Regardless of restricted availability, on-line on line casino gaming generated $8.4 billion in gross gaming income in 2024, outpacing the earnings of authorized sportsbooks on account of increased margins and tax charges.
That monetary efficiency has not eased political resistance. Critics from each events proceed to explain on-line casinos as “a slot machine in each pocket,” citing considerations over habit, entry, and round the clock availability.
For now, Maine joins a small however rising group of states keen to check tribal-led iGaming fashions, at the same time as comparable proposals elsewhere stay stalled by acquainted considerations.
