Maine

Fresh on the scene, Maine is one of the latest states to join the sports betting craze. On November 3, 2023, Maine officially launched two prominent online sports betting apps. In addition to the two online operators, retail betting will also be available in Pine Tree State.

All betting on professional sports has no restrictions in Maine, but when it comes to collegiate sports, residents are unable to wager on in-state colleges. Outside of sports betting, Pine Tree State residents can also bet on horse and greyhound races, both in person or through a mobile app. However, bettors in the state cannot wager on politics, entertainment events, and eSports.

Daily fantasy apps were made legal in the state in 2017 under LD 1320, and since then, a lot of prominent operators in the market have joined the state. These operators include FanDuel DFS, DraftKings DFS, and Yahoo. There were quite a few more operators in the state initially, but recently, five of them, including Underdog, decided not to renew their licenses.

Online sports betting in The Pine Tree State

To put Maine’s sports betting bill history in sports terms, the state had been on the goal line for years, but they just could not cross the goal line to pass a bill. Maine was close to being one of the first states to introduce legalized sports betting. After a bill made it through both chambers in 2019, Governor Janet Mills did not take action on it, which pushed it to a 2020 legislative session. On the final day before the bill would go into effect due to inaction, Mills decided to veto the bill.

Another sports betting bill would pass both chambers in 2021, but once again, it would be tabled until the following legislative session in 2022. After deciding that in-state tribes would receive exclusive rights to online sports betting and that retail betting would also be allowed in the state, Governor Janet Mills finally signed the bill.

While the bill was now signed, the process of getting sports betting off the ground continued to be slow. Even with the signature coming in 2022, online sports betting did not go live until November 3, 2023, when both Caesars and DraftKings launched for both Apple and Android users in the state.

The tribes that run sports betting in Maine include the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes. Caesars Sportsbook took an aggressive approach when it came to the Maine market by partnering with three of the four tribes, essentially cornering the market for themselves.

However, even with Caesars taking three of the partnerships, DraftKings still decided to enter the market by partnering with the Passamaquoddy tribe. This leaves Maine residents with a very small mobile betting market to choose from, although luckily, they will have ten retail locations available when in-person betting goes live in 2024.

All legal ME sports betting apps in 2024:

Sports betting & gambling legislation in ME

While finally getting a sports betting bill across the finish line is exciting, it’s important for Maine residents to find out the rules and regulations before diving in. For starters, bettors must be at least 21 years old to place a bet either online or at a retail location. Any bettor this older than 21 is also subject to a 7.15% state tax on their winnings to go along with the 24% federal tax.

Maine also uses geofencing software to ensure all bettors are within state lines when placing a wager. While remote registration is available for mobile betting apps, bettors need to ensure they are in the proper location when placing a bet. All rules and regulations in the state are enforced by the Maine Gambling Control Unit.

Gambling legislation is still a topic of conversation in Maine. The state has recently turned its attention to the legalization of iGaming, and multiple lawmakers are attempting to legalize online casinos to complement the already existing sports betting market. If Maine can get online casinos legalized, they will be able to offer quite the gambling market since retail casinos and the lottery are already operating in the state.

Most recent updates from the ME sports betting scene

• May 6, 2024: Tax coffers in Maine saw a significant decrease in tax revenue in March despite the state having a record-setting month in terms of handle. The state saw around a $150,000 decrease in tax revenue from February to March.

• December 7, 2023: Maine residents placed nearly $37.5 million in sports bets in November, marking the state's first month of legal sports betting. These activities also contributed approximately $468,000 in taxes to the state's coffers.

• November 9, 2023: Sportradar Group expands its presence in the United States by obtaining a temporary sports betting supplier license for Maine.

• November 8, 2023: DraftKings establishes a principle agreement with the Passamaquoddy Tribe, a federally recognized Indian Tribe, to introduce a mobile sports betting app in Maine.

• November 1, 2023: After extensive planning and discussions, the state's Department of Public Safety confirms the long-awaited launch of online sports betting starting November 3.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Retail sports betting is legal in Maine, but it has not yet occurred. Ten retail licenses are available in the state, so Maine bettors will have plenty of options to choose from once in-person betting goes live.

These in-person locations will include casinos, off-track betting sites, and commercial racetracks. Out of these locations, the state's two casinos, the Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway and the Oxford Casino Hotel, will likely be the first retail locations to take legal sports wagers.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Compared to the surrounding states, Maine was late to the party when it came to legalizing sports betting. While the legislation differs for each state, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have been waiting for their New England counterpart to join the market.

All three surrounding states had their own issues getting a sports betting bill passed. To find out more about each state's specific regulations, click the state name below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Maine's economy

There are two types of licenses available in Maine. Online licenses are strictly for the four Native American tribes, which allows them to partner with one online operator apiece. All online operators are subject to a 16% tax rate, and each license has a $200,000 fee. Ten retail licenses are available for a fee of $4,000, but those retail operators are subject to a 10% tax rate on revenue.

For only having two sportsbooks active in their first month of legalization, Maine had a successful coming-out party regarding handle and revenue, clearing over $37 million in handle and $4 million in revenue in November 2023.

Since Maine ranks in the bottom ten in the U.S. for population and does not have the most expansive market, it will never be one of the higher-earning states. However, compared to other states within those guidelines, like Vermont, Maine has already shown it can put up strong betting handles on a monthly basis.

Maine sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: March 2024 ($47,407,405)

• Revenue: January 2024 ($5,461,492)

• Tax income: January 2024 ($546,149)

ME sports betting revenue in 2024