Maine targets Q1 2027 online casino launch pending rulemaking

A first-quarter 2027 debut is the goal for Maine's regulated online casino sector, but it is not assured, and operators cannot go live until outstanding work is finished. Milt Champion, who leads the state's Gambling Control Unit, described the date as a target in an interview with SBC Americas.

Regulators still have to wrap up the rulemaking, set up a portal for online licensing and hire six more staff members to supervise the new market. The proposed rules are open for public comment until 30 October. If nothing major changes, the regulations may then be sent to the Attorney General's Office for legal review, a step that can last as long as 120 days.

Champion said iGaming is new, as sports wagering was, and that the rulemaking process has followed the same lengthy path. "As with sports wagering, iGaming is new, and the rulemaking process has followed in the same lengthy fashion as with sports wagering," he stated.

The state took its first formal step toward online casino gambling earlier this year, when Governor Janet Mills let LD 1164 take effect. The law grants the state's four Wabanaki Nations sole rights to conduct iGaming. Each of the four tribes — the Mi'kmaq Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribes — may offer online casino gaming via approved partners.

Drafted rules issued on 30 September would let only adults aged 21 or older gamble online, and only while they are physically present in Maine. Operators would need geolocation tools, multi-factor authentication and identity verification, and a March bill means credit card deposits would be prohibited. The framework also sets responsible gambling obligations, self-exclusion options and limits on advertising directed at younger audiences. Online casino revenue would carry an 18% tax, far under Rhode Island's 50% rate and in line with the tribal iGaming model used in neighbouring Connecticut.

A broad range of casino products, among them slots, table games and live dealer games, falls within the regulations. Licences would be mandatory for suppliers, platform providers and content providers. Operators would also have to hold player funds apart from company accounts and satisfy standards for cybersecurity, auditing and reporting.

Commercial operators are already making moves. Caesars Entertainment widened its June agreement with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi'kmaq Nation and the Penobscot Nation so that it covers online casino gaming. That deal is expected to deliver Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino to Maine after the market opens. Rush Street Interactive, which owns BetRivers, said in January that it "could see a lot of success potentially partnering with a tribe" there.

A federal court challenge to the law has been filed by Oxford Casino Hotel and its parent company, which contend that it amounts to a monopoly. Jay Snowden, CEO of PENN Entertainment, has joined the criticism of the structure, arguing that it excludes commercial operators and reduces competition.

Should the process go without a hitch, Maine would join the ranks of US states with a legal online casino market as the eighth, alongside Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.