Caesars Entertainment has opened Maine’s first in-person sports betting location at the new Oddfellahs venue.
Via a partnership with Maine-based First Tracks Investments LLC, the new state-of-the-art sports bar brings in-person sports betting to the Pine Tree State for the first time.
Oddfellahs celebrated its grand opening in downtown Portland on Sept. 15. Portland Mayor Mark Dion placed a ceremonial first wager alongside representatives from Caesars, First Tracks, Portland City Council, and the Maine Gambling Control Unit.
The venue offers full food and beverage service and a sports viewing experience modeled after a Vegas-style sportsbook with 36 screens. Full-service sports betting is available through self-service betting kiosks and a ticket window on-site. Caesars customers can also make cash deposits and withdrawals from their Caesars Sportsbook mobile accounts.
“We’d like to thank Gov. Janet Mills, the Maine Gambling Control Unit, the Portland City Council and the entire state legislature for making today possible,” said Caesars Digital President Eric Hession. “It’s great to see the momentum following our launch of mobile sports wagering in the state through our historic partnership with three of the Wabanaki Nations.
“With the first in-person sportsbook now operational, we look forward to collaborating with First Tracks on additional in-person opportunities in Maine.”
“This is an exciting venture for Maine’s harness racing industry, Wabanaki tribes, and sports fans across the state to access a new entertainment venue,” added First Tracks CEO Michael Cianchette. We’re excited for whatever comes next and look forward to providing sustainable, responsible opportunities.”
Caesars extends roots in Maine
Caesars Sportsbook is one of two sportsbooks authorized under Maine law to operate sports betting in the state. It has offered online wagering in the state since November 2023 through its partnership with three Wabanaki Nations: the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Penobscot Nation.
Its competitor in the state is DraftKings, which is licensed to operate via an agreement with the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
Maine’s regulated sports betting market generated a total handle of $35.6 million between those two operators in August. At 85% of the total amount wagered, DraftKings dominates the market.
Top Maine regulator considered ‘threat’ by state casino investigators
Elsewhere in Maine this month, a letter from the nine casino inspectors in the Gambling Control Unit levelled serious accusations against the unit’s Executive Director, Milton Champion.
All nine published an open letter through their labor union stating that they do not believe Champion should continue in his role as “he has made it clear through his actions that he does not respect the oversight role of the Maine Gambling Control Board (MGCB).”
The investigators accused Champion of circumventing the board altogether by making unilateral decisions “that completely undermine the Board’s ability to oversee gambling matters in Maine.”
“Many of these decisions make very little sense, are based on false data, and have irreparably harmed the Maine Gambling Control Unit’s ability to regulate casino gambling (which we are required to do by state statute),” the letter read.
However, nine employees of the MGCB have released a response letter from expressing their confidence in him. The MGCB’s next regular meeting is set for Sept. 17.
