Maine Online Sports Betting
Maine online sports betting is now a realistic possibility following the State’s approval of sports betting laws. Being the third New England State to pass legislation for betting on sports, following New Hampshire and Rhode Island, we expect Maine sportsbooks online to be introduced in the near future.
We’re going to talk about the legal implications of Maine online sports betting shortly. While there has been no discussion over which operators are likely to move into Maine territory, we can take an educated guess at what Maine sportsbooks will be available, judging by what’s around in other States.
In addition to online sportsbooks, we can also expect to see a number of Maine online sports betting apps introduced at some point. Let’s take a closer look at what the new sports betting regulations mean for Pine Tree State residents and which Maine betting sites could be introduced first.
Legal Status Of Maine Sports Betting
What are the current laws surrounding Maine sportsbooks? LD 553 was passed extremely quickly through the House. All that is required now is a signature from Governor Janet Mills, who decided to take more time to review the bill. Now, the next opportunity for the bill to pass into law will be in January 2020, when the legislature returns.
The Bill proposes Maine betting sites along with retail sites. In total, sports betting will be permitted in 11 locations. This list consists of four tribal casinos, four off-track betting shops, two casinos and a racetrack.
Unlike most other States where sports gambling is legislated, online operators won’t need to have deals set up with land-based sportsbooks in Maine. Maine betting sites won’t need to physically have their operation in the State either.
Tax Laws For Maine Online Sports Betting
The current Bill suggests a difference in taxes for online operators, at 16% of revenue, and retail sites at 10%. As far as licenses cost, a license is available for around $20,000.
What Sports Can You Bet On In Maine?
We expect that your betting options in Maine will consist of a huge range of sports. None have been explicitly prohibited, and so we expect to see horse racing odds available alongside baseball, basketball and ice hockey.
The Maine betting bill does state, though, that all forms of wagering on in-state college sports will be banned.
The list below details the sports we expect to make up a typical Maine sportsbook.
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Soccer
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- MMA
- Football
- Cricket
- Motorsports
- Rugby
Which Operators Will Offer Maine Online Sports Betting?
Regulations for Maine online sports betting are new, and so there are no operators offering online betting opportunities just yet. There are, though, a number of online bookmakers who are likely to move into the Maine betting arena.
FanDuel and DraftKings are two of the biggest names in US online betting. Offering online sportsbooks in a number of States, we believe that these two names will be amongst the first to introduce their platform in the Pine Tree State.
Who else do we expect to launch Maine betting sites? SugarHouse is another contender and has proved extremely popular in other States. As there is no need for an online provider to sign a deal with land-based sportsbooks, we could also expect William Hill, bet365, Pointsbet and 888sport to introduce their sportsbooks to the State.
What We Can Expect From Maine Betting Sites
Most online betting sites offer some form of new customer bonus, in addition to a great range of odds and markets. Expect to see some competitive offers, available on both desktop and mobile sites, once sportsbooks are fully introduced.
Land-based sports betting in Maine
The new bill creates opportunities for casinos to apply for sports betting licenses. Oxford Casino Hotel and Hollywood Casino Hotel could be amongst those to launch sports betting at their land-based sites.
The state’s commercial racetracks and off-track betting facilities will also be able to apply to offer sports betting at their venues. Those include the two racetracks – Scarborough Downs Harness Race Track and the Bangor Raceway Harness Race Track.
The off-track betting locations are the Favorites OTB, the Winners Circle OTB, the Winners OTB and the Sanford OTB.
Maine Online Sports Betting Apps
The potential Maine online sports betting sites listed above are likely to launch mobile betting apps as well as desktop-specific sites.
Maine is the only State, who already offer retail betting, to legalize online sports betting without the need for an operator to have ties with a land-based property. This means that customers won’t have to register for a betting app in-person, as is the case in many other States.
This ruling also means that the market is open to a huge range of potential operators. While we can only guess at this stage how Maine online sports betting apps will work, it’s likely that the Pine Tree State will be amongst the best for online and mobile play.
Maine Online Gambling
Although the newly passed bill only applies to land-based and online sports betting, there is hope that it will eventually extend to casino as well. The two current land-based facilities offering casino games and gambling in the state are the Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino and Racetrack Bangor. Hopefully, after online sports betting goes live, we will also see the launch of Maine Online Casinos.
Maine Online Horse Betting
Online horse racing betting in Maine is authorized and available through two operators – BetAmerica and Nyra Bets.
Where to Bet on Sports in Other States
Read about online sports betting legislation in other states here:
| California |  |
| Delaware | |
| Michigan |  |
| Nevada |  |
| New Hampshire |  |
| New Jersey |  |
| New York |  |
| Pennsylvania |  |
| Rhode Island |  |
| Tennessee |  |
| West Virginia |  |
