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Maine's Legalized IGaming Bill Faces Last Major Obstacle

marilynthacker edited this page 2026-04-28 14:23:11 +02:00

Maine inched closer to legislating online casino gaming, but a stays.

- LD 1164 calls for an 18% tax on online casino gaming operators.

• Gov. Janet Mills might veto the costs, most likely ending Maine's chances of legalizing iGaming this year.
• The proposal took a winding political road to reach the special appropriations table.
  
  The state's Senate, accepting your house, positioned approved LD 1164, an iGaming bill, on the "unique appropriations table" Wednesday. The proposal is one of 100 expenses headed to Gov. Janet Mills' desk, the Maine Morning Star reported. Mills has 10 days to sign and enact the iGaming step.
  
  However, Mills could ban the costs, and the legislature, which already adjourned, would likely not bypass it this year. While she hasn't spoken publicly about the legislation, Mills hasn't favored other video gaming initiatives. She shot down two sports betting attempts before reaching a compromise to permit legal sportsbooks to operate in 2022.
  
  There is currently kept in mind opposition to the proposition. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Gambling Control Board Chair affirmed versus the costs, offering concerns about problem gaming and economic impacts to in-person casinos. In a state where DraftKings and Caesars operate online sports wagering through tribal partnerships, FanDuel, Fanatics, and BetMGM also argued versus the law.
  
  Creating 'economic chance'
  
  LD 1164 is "an act to create financial chance for the Wabanaki Nations through web video gaming." Four licenses would go to the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Penobscot Nation, Mi'kmaq Nation, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. The people would then partner with iGaming operators.
  
  DraftKings and Caesars both run online casinos in other U.S. jurisdictions, making them most likely prospects to benefit immediately from legal iGaming in Maine.
  
  Online gambling establishment business would pay the state an 18% tax rate on their adjusted gaming income. That would generate an estimated $1.8 million in Year 1 and $3.6 million in 2026-2027, according to a fiscal note contributed to the costs.
  
  Maine's online sports wagering operators created over $93.7 million in income from more than $835 million in bets given that 2023. The Evergreen State filled its coffers with over $9 million from the 10% tax rate on sportsbooks.
  
  Windy road
  
  Getting LD 1164 to Mills' desk wasn't easy. The House committee killed the bill in April, however it was reanimated throughout June's special session, when it was changed to increase the tax rate from 16% to 18%.
  
  After passing the House, the Senate pressed it through without a majority vote, leaving your home to enact it. Sen. Peggy Rotundo motioned to place the measure on the special appropriations table, stalling it while lawmakers were still writing the state spending plan.
  
  Rotundo abstained from voting on passing the proposition, leaving it to stop working by one vote, before keeping it alive by voting against a motion to decline the expense. After Rotundo removed it from the special appropriations table, the Senate lastly passed it and moved it along.