Maine is well on its way to becoming the next state in the US to legalize online casinos. The news, announced yesterday, follows Governor Janet Mills allowing an authorization bill to pass into law to permit online casinos in the state.
Mills wrote in a statement: “I considered this bill carefully, and while I have concerns about the impacts of gambling on public health, I believe that this new form of gambling should be regulated.”
“And I am confident that Maine’s Gambling Control Unit will develop responsible rules and standards to hold providers of this new form of gambling accountable while ensuring that Maine’s tribes benefit from its operations.”
The progression of the bill came from the fact that in 2025 lawmakers passed a motion to grant the Wabanaki Tribes exclusive management of iGaming services within the state. The motion was titled LD1164 and was planned to be signed into law by Mills during the legislative session – and now it has been.
When the bill comes into effect, the four federally recognized gaming tribes in Maine will be allowed to partner with one third-party operator. So far, two of the tribes have partnered with DraftKings Casino and Caesars; and DraftKings was one of the operators willing to testify in support of the bill.
Not all operators were in support of legalizing iGaming in Maine…
However, surprisingly, not all operators were in support of the new proposed bill. The bill was opposed by some gaming operators including FanDuel, Fanatics, and BetMGM.
Working for State Government Relations for FanDuel, Michael Ventre testified against the bill last year, arguing: “It would not create the healthy, regulated market that we have seen in many other states.”
Maine’s governing gambling body, Maine Gambling Control Unit, opposed the bill as they stated it would take away revenue from the state’s land-based venues – both of which aren’t permitted to have online casino licenses.
The Board stated: “Cutting out Oxford and Hollywood Casinos entirely from offering iGaming is ill-advised and creates a monopoly that is harmful to consumers and the Maine workers employed by Oxford and Hollywood Casinos.
“Furthermore, removing casino games from the regulatory authority of the Gambling Control Board violates Maine law and renders the Board effectively useless.”
Timelines & looking ahead
Currently there is no formal timeline for the launch but I’m sure more will be announced within the coming weeks and months.
Next states to potentially follow suit are New York and Virginia. Check out which US states will legalize online casinos in 2026 to see other predictions from BonusFinder. Maine was eight out of 10 potential states which we could see potentially unlocking in 2026.
