Online Gaming in Maine

In the 2025 session, a successor bill, LD 1164 ("An Act to Create Economic Opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations Through Internet Gaming"), sponsored by Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor), passed the House 85-59 and the Senate 18-17 in June 2025, just before the session's June 18 deadline. Governor Janet Mills, whose administration had testified against the bill earlier in 2025, did not sign or veto the legislation before the legislature adjourned, holding it over summer pending her decision. The Maine Gambling Control Board voted unanimously to urge Mills to veto the bill. On January 7, 2026, Governor Mills announced she would allow LD 1164 to become law without her signature, citing its economic benefits for the Wabanaki Nations.

LD 1164 grants Maine's four federally recognized tribes — the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and Mi'kmaq Nation — each one exclusive online casino operator license. Tribal operators may partner with commercial gaming providers. The law sets an 18% tax on gross gaming receipts, with revenue distributed to gambling addiction prevention, the Fund for Healthy Maine, Maine Veterans' Homes, school renovation loans, and emergency housing relief. The license fee is $50,000 annually. Commercial casinos (Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino & Raceway) are excluded from participation.

The law formally takes effect 90 days after the conclusion of the 2026 legislative session (which adjourned April 15, 2026), establishing July 14, 2026 as the earliest legal effective date. However, the Maine Gambling Control Unit is still finalizing licensing regulations, and actual consumer-facing platform launches are expected in late 2026 or early 2027. As of the July 2026 effective date, three brands have been announced: Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with the Penobscot Nation, Mi'kmaq Nation, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to offer Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, and Horseshoe Online Casino; the Passamaquoddy Tribe partnered separately with DraftKings.

The law faces significant legal and political challenges. In January 2026, Churchill Downs (owner of Oxford Casino) filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine against the director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, arguing LD 1164 creates an unconstitutional "race-based monopoly" that violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. and Maine constitutions. The Wabanaki Nations have been permitted to intervene to defend the law. The National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) is also pursuing a People's Veto referendum to repeal the law. As of mid-2026, no injunction has been granted, and regulatory rulemaking is proceeding.

Maine would become the eighth U.S. state to offer regulated online casino gaming once platforms launch.

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