Will the second time be a charm for Maine? This week’s sports betting news finds the state one signature away from regulating bets on sporting events… but we’ve been here before. Back in 2019 everything looked good for sports betting in Maine. That is, until Governor Mills vetoed the bill, simply stating that she did not believe that the citizens of Maine wanted the activity regulated, plus some other odd ramblings. But the House and Senate passed a new bill bill last week, and hopefully this time is different.
The new bill is part of large, tribal sovereignty legislation. It focuses on establishing four mobile sports betting licenses in Maine, one for each of tribes in the state. Then, there will be 10 additional licenses for casinos, race tracks, and Off Track Betting Sites. The Governor used mobile exclusivity to her advantage while hashing out the details, so there is reason to believe she will sign the bill into law.
In other sports betting news, Massachusetts legislators are debating regulating the activity there. If the Governor of Maine signs the bill on her desk, that would leave Massachusetts and Vermont as the only states in New England to have no legal sports betting.
Speculation is that if sports betting were to be regulated in Massachusetts, the soonest bets would be accepted would be before the end of the year. Currently, any regulation would be handled by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
The fear, however, is that a disagreement about betting on college sports could derail the entire process. The current bill before the State House bill would allow betting on the outcome of college games. It would, however, restrict placing wagers on individual performances of college athletes. If betting on college games is restricted, it will drop revenue estimates several million dollars a year.
You can always fond more sports betting news right here on our website.