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Maine is set to open an online casino market, with the state’s four Wabanaki Nations participating.
Gov. Janet Mills said on Thursday, Jan. 8, that she will allow LD 1164 to become law, clearing a months-long hold on legislation that authorizes the Mi’kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Penobscot Nation, and Passamaquoddy Tribes to operate internet gaming in Maine.
Mills phrased the decision as part of a more expansive effort to work with tribal leaders on economic development.
“It has always been my strong desire to work with [tribal] leaders to improve the lives and livelihoods of the Wabanaki Nations, and it is my hope that this new revenue will do just that,” she said in a statement announcing her intention to let the bill take effect.
A second major online-gaming expansion in four years
LD 1164 follows Maine’s 2022 move to grant the Wabanaki Nations control of mobile sports betting, another step that placed a newly legalized online gambling vertical under tribal authority.
The online casino push also lands as U.S. iGaming remains concentrated in a limited number of states, with online casino regulation still far less widespread than sports betting.
What the bill builds
Maine’s fiscal note outlines an internet gaming framework regulated by the state’s Gambling Control Unit, with the state share set at 18% of adjusted gross internet gaming receipts and distributed across multiple accounts and programs.
The same fiscal note states that the bill limits iGaming licenses to each federally recognized Indian nation, tribe, or band in Maine, and anticipates that license and application fees will contribute to the state’s General Fund.
Opposition remains loud, even as the decision is final
Mills’ move came after sustained pushback from anti-iGaming advocates and interests aligned with Maine’s existing casino industry. An industry-aligned group that includes Churchill Downs-backed interests had promoted polling claiming a majority of Mainers oppose iGaming, while urging the governor to block the measure.
After Mills’ announcement, the National Association Against iGaming argued the governor’s reversal was political rather than evidence-led. Spokesperson Leo Rommel said:
“While only [Mills] can explain her change of heart, it is difficult to view this decision as anything other than a political calculation rather than a policy driven by evidence or public interest.”
Maine Morning Star also reported Mills met with the elected chiefs of the Wabanaki Nations during the fall before reaching her decision.
Source: Bangor Daily News
