Maine lawmakers are reconsidering a measure to authorize online casino gaming.
LD 1164 is labeled as unfinished business by Maine’s legislature after the bill was tabled after a unanimous vote in April by the state’s Joint Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.
The bill is being reconsidered during Maine’s first special session, which adjourns June 18.
LD 1164, sponsored by Rep. Ambureen Rana, brings online casinos to Maine through the Wabanaki Nations — Maine’s four federally recognized tribes. The measure provides each tribe with a license to contract with one iGaming operator. Under LD 114, online casino gaming in Maine is taxed at a 16% rate with regulation by the Gambling Control Unit.
The Gambling Control Unit already oversees sports betting in Maine while retail slot machines and table games are regulated by the state’s Gambling Control Board.
Online sports betting in the state is also tied to Maine’s federally recognized tribes.
Retail casinos oppose Rana’s measure
The Wabanaki Nations voiced their support of LD 1164 but the measure has opponents.
LD 1164 received backlash from Churchill Downs’ Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor, which is operated by PENN Entertainment. The two properties oppose the measure as it gives Maine tribes a “monopoly” over online casinos.
“This bill would create a gaming monopoly for the Wabanaki Nations with little economic benefit to Maine,” Oxford Casino representative Dan Walker told lawmakers in April.
FanDuel, BetMGM and Fanatics have called for changes to the measure. The group of sports betting and online casino operators want to let tribes have more than one partner.
Failed attempt to bring online casinos to Maine
Rep. Laura Supica first introduced LD 1777 in 2023 before the measure passed in the Senate and later voted down in the House by a 75-70 vote. LD 1777 provided the Wabanaki Nations with exclusive access to online casino operator licenses in Maine. It also proposed taxing online casinos at a 10% rate compared to LD 1164’s 16% rate.
Opposition to LD 1777 stemmed from concerns regarding problem gambling and the inability of the state’s commercial casinos to generate revenue from online casinos.
