Maine online sports betting laws
No state has come closer to legalizing sports betting, without actually doing so, than Maine. But hopes are high that could change in 2021. In early 2020, state governor Janet Mills’s veto of a bill to legalize and regulate sports betting was a significant setback. This time around, with a new bill, LD 1352, which includes changes such as tying online operators to land-based gaming venues, there’s hope that the governor will approve the measure.
Written by OnlineBetting.com staff.
Fact Checked
Jennifer Gaynor
Administrative law and government relations attorney
Jennifer has a degree in Journalism from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C, in 2005. She's been living in Las Vegas helping clients in the casino and gaming industry, as well as other regulated businesses, across Nevada for over 15 years.
She has authored and co-authored numerous articles and books on US gaming law, including most recently, The Law of Regulated Gambling: A Practical Guide for Business Lawyers , American Bar Association (2020), and That (Expletive) Broad: Women Who Broke Barriers in the Casino and Gaming Industry (2020) .
Is sports betting legal in Maine?
No. As things stand Maine sports betting has not yet been authorized, however, that could change with new legislation on the table in 2021.
Is online sports betting legal in Maine?
No, there is no Maine online sports betting yet.
Is sports betting legal in Maine?
Maine comes close to legalizing sports betting in 2020
Might Maine sports betting find approval in 2021?
Betting on horse racing is legal
Daily Fantasy Sports in Maine
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) was legalized in Maine in 2017 and has become highly popular since. All the main DFS operators, including DraftKings, offer games to customers in the Pine Tree State. DFS operators must pay a licensing fee of $2,500 if they have revenue of more than $100,000 – and they pay a 10% tax on gross revenues above that figure.
Even though there are no NFL teams in Maine, the New England Patriots count many Mainers among their fans. Hockey is also popular in Maine, as are baseball and basketball. The Maine Red Claws play in the NBA G League and attract plenty of interest. The state’s most prominent college team is the Black Bears ice hockey program at the University of Maine, who have won two NCAA championships.
Most popular sports in Maine
With greater optimism around the chances of legalized sports betting, there is renewed hope for the nearly 1.5 million in the Pine Tree State who love their sport, that they’ll finally be able to back their teams too.
Football
Gridiron fans across New England pull for the Patriots, and those in Maine are no different. With six Super Bowls since the turn of the century, the Pats have been a big deal in recent years. The Maine Black Bears provide a point of interest for college football fans too.
Responsible gambling in Maine
If and when Maine sports betting is legalized, bettors will find plenty of responsible gambling resources in the Pine Tree State.
The fact that there are casinos here already, as well as DFS and a state lottery, means there is already an appreciation of the need for all forms of gambling to be administered responsibly.
Maine also features horse racing gambling, at off-track betting locations (OTBs) and on Maine betting sites including TVG and TwinSpires.
It is encouraging to find plenty of resources to help the small minority of gamblers who develop problems.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers an overview of the impact of problem gambling and a guide to the early signs that someone you know has an issue.
The AdCare Educational Institute of Maine also has a host of programs and services, as well as access to a problem gambling helpline.
The Maine Council on Problem Gambling brings together links to organizations, support groups and self-help resources.
The National Council on Problem Gambling offers screening tools, access to treatment resources and a confidential 24-hour national helpline.
Timeline of sports betting in Maine
2018
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. This opens the way for states to authorize sports betting.
2019
The state legislature passes a bill to allow Maine sports betting, both retail and online.
2020
The state’s governor vetoes the bill and an attempt to overturn her veto is unsuccessful.
2021
The next push to legalize Maine sports betting takes another bill to the governor’s desk.
Where can you bet in Maine?
The short answer is nowhere – yet. The veto of the 2019 bill has set back the cause of Maine sports betting.
There remains a healthy appetite towards legalization, though, and if that does happen the first retail locations where sports betting might take place are the state’s two commercial casinos and off-track betting locations (OTBs) currently focused on horse racing betting:
| Casino/OTBs | Address |
|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino Bangor | 500 Main Street, Bangor ME 04401 |
| Oxford Casino | 777 Casino Way, Oxford ME 04270 |
| Favorites OTB | 38 College Avenue, Waterville, ME |
| Winners Circle OTB | 12 Mollison Way (Marco's Restaurant), Lewiston, ME |
| Winners OTB | 20 Farley Road, Brunswick, ME |
| Sanford OTB | 890 Main Street, Sanford, ME |
| Scarborough Downs | Route One, Scarborough, ME |
| Bangor Raceway | 107 Dutton Street, Bangor, ME |
Sports betting in the United States
- Online sports betting legal
- Sports betting legal (excluding online)
- Not legal yet
Maine betting FAQs
Can you bet online in Maine?
Is Bovada legal in Maine?
Is DraftKings legal in Maine?
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