Maine lawmakers voted down a bill Tuesday that would have brought legal online casino gaming to the state.
A joint House and Senate committee previously advanced the iCasino bill 7-6, sending it on to the full floor of both chambers. While the House voted it down, it's possible the Senate could pass the bill. It would then go to Gov. Janet Mills for final approval.
It remains to be seen if Mills, who has vetoed some gaming expansion bills while supporting others, will accept the online casino proposal. The bill that would legalize online slots and table games has a range of supporters and opponents that leave its legislative fate unclear.
Powerful supporters back bill
The latest proposal would allow the state’s major tribes exclusive rights to offer online casino games. Maine’s four tribes that make up the Wabanaki Nations already have sole rights to Maine’s regulated online sports betting market.
Maine tribes, as expected, support the legislation as well as separate bills under consideration that would permit slot-machine-like historic horse racing terminals as well as electronic pull tab games.
For decades, Maine’s government and its four major tribes have struggled to work together under an unusual regulatory structure that denies the tribes many of the gaming and other rights available to Native American groups in other states. Mills has stressed her administration’s work to improve tribal relations and economic opportunities. After vetoing the state’s original competitive-market sports betting bill, Mills backed the tribal-only legislation that ultimately passed into law.
House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross has also backed the iGaming bill as a way to bolster state tribes. Testifying during a legislative hearing earlier this year, Ross said online casino gaming would be another major asset for the tribes following a successful online sports betting launch.
“Tribal governments must be able to create greater economic development on Tribal lands. Period. The bills in front of you today are solutions to begin fixing the problem,” Talbot testified during the January bill hearing.
Both Ross and Senate President Troy Jackson are co-sponsors of the bill. With leadership backing, proponents are optimistic the legislation will pass both chambers.
Significant Opposition Remains
The support runs up against opposition groups – including the state’s top gaming regulator.
“It is my personal belief that adult Mainers should be free to enjoy legal, regulated gaming in all its forms,” testified Maine Gambling Control Board Chair Steve Silver. “But I also believe that any qualified operator should have the ability to obtain an iGaming license, including the Wabanaki Nations.”
Silver and other gaming stakeholders back the larger, competitive structure originally proposed for Maine’s sports betting market. Silver specifically testified against provisions in the iGaming bill that exclude the state’s two commercial casinos.
Churchill Downs’ Oxford Casino and Penn Entertainment’s Hollywood Casino in Bangor are not permitted online sports betting licenses, though they can open in-person sportsbooks at their respective facilities.
The threat of statewide online casino gaming to brick-and-mortar stakeholders has stalled similar legislation in multiple statehouses nationwide. A tribal-only market that allows no potential online revenue opportunities for the two established casinos is unfair, opponents argue.
Labor groups representing casino fears worry mobile gaming would deter in-person visits, leading to less revenue and potential layoffs. This is particularly acute in Maine, one of the country’s largest and least densely populated states.
The bill also faces religious and anti-gambling opposition from religious and conservative groups. Other opponents have cited the fear of increased gambling addiction from statewide mobile gaming availability.
Future Unclear
These conflicting views were underscored in the narrow vote that sent the proposal out of a committee and onto the full House and Senate chambers. Supporters and opponents are sure to revamp their efforts ahead of the state’s scheduled legislative session conclusion later this month.
Mills’ position could determine the bill’s fate. Though she has backed gaming expansion through sports betting to bolster tribal economic opportunities, she has also upended some of the legislature’s other gambling initiatives, including a bill that would permit brick-and-mortar casinos on tribal lands.
If passed as written, major iGaming platforms such as FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, and Caesars will likely seek partnerships with the tribes. DraftKings and Caesars run the state’s only live-regulated mobile sportsbooks in partnership with the tribes.
Should the two brick-and-mortar casinos be included in the bill, Churchill Downs’ TwinSpires and Penn’s Hollywood casino platforms would also be set to enter the state. Penn has a marketing deal with ESPN for its ESPN Bet mobile sportsbook but uses its Hollywood brand for online slots and table games.
Maine would join New England neighbors Connecticut and Rhode Island among the seven states with legal iGaming.
The Pine Tree State would also likely become the only U.S. jurisdiction to pass iGaming legislation this year. Other hopefuls such as Illinois, Indiana, and New York saw their bills gain little traction. Maryland, many stakeholders’ best hope for legalization, saw its bill defeated when its legislative session concluded Monday.
