Maine has turn into the eighth state with legalized on-line on line casino gaming and the ninth with regulated web poker after Governor Janet Mills (D) declined to veto LD 1164. This invoice, entitled “An Act to Create Financial Alternative for the Wabanaki Nations Via Web Gaming,” grew to become legislation with out the governor’s signature on Jan. 10, 2026.
What Does LD1164 Do?
Underneath the provisions of the brand new legislation, the Playing Management Unit (GCU) of the Division of Public Security could have regulatory powers over the brand new trade. The GCU could have the flexibility to problem licenses for web gaming, which is outlined as:
a card recreation, cube recreation or different recreation of probability permitted by the director, together with however not restricted to blackjack, poker, cube, craps, roulette or baccarat, provided by an permitted cellular software or different digital platform that entails, at the very least partially, using the Web.
The one entities able to being thus licensed are the state’s 4 federally acknowledged Indian tribes: the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Penobscot Nation, and the Passamaquoddy Tribe. These are the identical teams which can be already licensed for sports activities betting underneath LD 585, which was signed into legislation in Could 2022. All 4 of those tribes are a part of the Wabanaki Nations.
Every tribe would solely be allowed to function one website or pores and skin. They will, nevertheless, companion with a administration providers companion to run the positioning on their behalf. This supplier must be licensed too. Different licenses required embody provider licenses for distributors and occupational licenses for tribal staff related to web gaming.
Cash Issues
In fact, the leaders of Maine aren’t establishing a regulated on-line gaming economic system solely due to their love of freedom and willingness to embrace the most recent expertise. There’s additionally some cash in it for the state.
For starters, every web gaming license will value $50,000 and can final one yr. Renewals will even be processed on the identical $50,000/yr charge. Administration providers and provider licenses value $10,000 per yr. Occupational licenses value solely $250 plus $25 for a one-year renewal or $50 to resume for 3 years.
Adjusted gross gaming income shall be topic to an 18% tax. The funds shall be allotted as follows:
2% for the Playing Management Unit’s administrative expenses2% for a Playing Habit Prevention and Remedy Fund2.5% towards a dairy stabilization program1.5% for the Opioid Use Dysfunction Prevention and Remedy Fund2% for the Emergency Housing Reduction Fund5% for the Maine Veterans’ Properties Stabilization Fund1% for the Fund for a Wholesome Maine2% for the Faculty Revolving Renovation Fund
Feedback and Reactions
Governor Janet Mills defined her causes for letting the invoice turn into legislation:
I thought-about this invoice rigorously, and whereas I’ve considerations concerning the impacts of playing on public well being, I consider that this new type of playing ought to 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 guaranteeing that Maine’s tribes profit from its operations. It has at all times been my sturdy need to work with Tribal leaders to enhance the lives and livelihoods of the Wabanaki Nations, and it’s my hope that this new income will do exactly that.
Maine Governor Janet MillsTribal leaders assist the brand new laws and plenty of of them echoed the governor’s sentiments. Nevertheless, there was fairly a little bit of opposition to the brand new regulatory framework. Steve Silver, Chair of the Maine Playing Management Board, acknowledged that excluding the state’s two industrial on line casino operators from igaming would result in job losses, and he additionally was involved that LD 1164 provides oversight powers to the Playing Management Unit reasonably than the prevailing Playing Management Board. Steve testified:
Slicing out Oxford and Hollywood Casinos totally from providing iGaming is ill-advised for my part and creates a monopoly that’s dangerous to customers and Maine staff employed by Oxford and Hollywood Casinos. Moreover, eradicating on line casino video games from the regulatory authority of the Playing Management Board violates Maine legislation and renders the Board successfully ineffective.
Trying Ahead
We foresee a really restricted on-line on line casino marketplace for Maine each due to the small dimension of its inhabitants (1.4 million) and the limitation of not more than 4 websites lively. Really, we’d see fewer than 4 corporations operating licensed web casinos in Maine.
Of the 4 tribes that have already got partnerships for sports activities betting, three of them work with Caesars whereas the fourth has established a relationship with DraftKings. Since each of those corporations additionally supply on line casino gaming, we will undertaking that the tribes will proceed to do enterprise with their present companions reasonably than making an attempt to forge new relationships, and so the Maine market may turn into successfully dominated by these two firms.
No Shared Liquidity Foreseen
A lot of the enabling laws for on-line gaming up to now decade has included sections encouraging officers to ascertain multi-jurisdictional agreements for cross-border play. Nevertheless, Maine’s invoice does not comprise any language on this topic.
Which means that operators will not be capable to mix their Maine visitors with customers from different states to type extra sturdy product choices. This does not matter a lot on the on line casino aspect, nevertheless it might show an insurmountable impediment to getting poker off the bottom.
Via the provisions of the Multi-State Web Gaming Settlement, six states have agreed to mix their on-line poker participant swimming pools. This had led to increased visitors, bigger tournaments, and in the end better revenues for these states and their licensed web poker suppliers. Maine standing by itself as a ring-fenced market is probably not enticing sufficient to entice any organizations to attempt to develop poker rooms from the bottom up nevertheless.
Six Members of the Multi-State Web Gaming SettlementTimeline
However the latest legalization of Maine on-line gaming with LD 1146, we in all probability nonetheless have some time but to go earlier than something concrete comes of it. The invoice will take impact 90 days after the adjournment of the present legislative session, which is scheduled to happen April 15, 2026. Thus, it will likely be the center of July earlier than any of the invoice’s provisions are carried out.
The Playing Management Unit will then need to draft the required rules, vet potential license functions, problem licenses, and supervise the launch of the brand new ME legalized on-line gaming market.
Realistically, we might see the primary regulated on line casino web sites seem in Maine within the latter portion of 2026 or early 2027. Because the viability of on-line poker within the state is decrease than that of on-line casinos, it’s going to in all probability be a lot later than this earlier than the primary ME-licensed web poker site opens for enterprise.
Convoluted Legislative Historical past
Even by the often-labyrinthine requirements of state lawmaking, the journey of invoice LD 1164 has been prolonged and convoluted.
Sponsored by Consultant Ambureen Rana (D), LD 1164 was launched to the Home on March 20, 2025. It was referred to the Committee on Veterans and Authorized Affairs in each the Home and Senate, however then the legislative session ended earlier than the invoice made any additional progress.
State Consultant Ambureen RanaNevertheless, as has turn into the standard follow in Maine over the previous couple of years, the governor referred to as the legislature again for a particular session, which began March 25. On June 12, the invoice handed the Home with a vote of 85 – 59. There adopted a collection of advanced and seemingly contradictory votes within the Senate whereby LD 1164 did not have sufficient votes to be handed however had sufficient assist to not be killed outright.
State Senator Peggy Rotundo (D) resorted to a maneuver generally known as “enactment underneath the hammer,” which permits a invoice to be handed with no vote except there’s an objection. There have been no objections, and LD 1164 was handed by the Senate on June 25.
June 25 was additionally the date on which the particular session of the legislature ended. The governor had 10 days from that point to veto the invoice or signal it into legislation. Nevertheless, Governor Mills took no motion, which meant that upon the reconvening of the legislature on Jan. 7, 2026, the governor had three days to veto it or enable it to turn into legislation. It was the latter plan of action that Mills took.
Maine On-line Poker Out there Now
We have already demonstrated that the street to regulated Maine on-line poker shall be a bumpy one and we’d not see the ultimate vacation spot for fairly a while now. Nevertheless, you should not let this discourage you in case you’re a potential web poker participant. It’s because there are already a lot of offshore poker rooms that already fortunately settle for Maine gamers.
These websites will not be topic to the legal guidelines of Maine or the USA as a result of they’re situated in international jurisdictions. Relaxation assured that there aren’t any authorized penalties for having fun with on-line poker as a participant.
Among the many better of the true cash Maine on-line poker websites is Ignition On line casino. Whenever you join an account, you will get a 150% as much as $1,500 poker bonus in your first deposit. You may additionally get an analogous bonus for on line casino video games. Click on the button beneath to start out taking part in at Ignition at this time:
For extra details about this upstanding poker site, take a look at this detailed Ignition Poker evaluate. For added poker choices obtainable to Mainers, learn this information to on-line poker in Maine. Residents of different states might as a substitute want to peruse this web page describing the most effective on-line poker options for Individuals.
Jan. 15, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief
