Legal Maine Sports Betting Expected to Launch in November

• Legal Maine sports betting is expected to launch in November of 2023.
• The Maine Gambling Control Unit submitted their sports betting rules to the Attorney General Office.
• The Attorney General Office is anticipated to adopt the rules, permitting the launch of online and mobile sports betting in Maine.

AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine legal sports betting finally has a launch date after Governor Janet Mills signed a sports betting bill into law over a year ago.

The Attorney General Office will review and ultimately approve the received proposed rules governing legal sports betting by the Maine Gambling Control Unit in November of 2023. Sports betting licenses will be issued on the day of approval, meaning legal online sportsbooks can anticipate a launch sometime in November.

Shannon Moss, spokesperson of the Maine Department of Public Safety said in a statement that “Temporary or initial licenses will be issued on the day of adoption to allow licensees to go live and offer wagers on sports according to law and rule.”

Sports betting was legalized in Maine on May 2, 2022 and became law in August. Over 14 months later, Maine finalized drafting their sports betting rules and shipped them out to the Attorney General Office.

Maine Sports Betting Finally Set to Arrive

The path of legal Maine sports betting was a bumpy one that saw Governor Janet Mills deny legal sports betting twice before supporting the 2022 Maine sports betting bill.

Governor Mills vetoed LD 553 in 2020 and elected not to vote on LD 1352 in 2021, with both bills possessing language to legalize sports betting in the state. Mills came out in support of LD 585, which grants native tribes sole authority over the mobile and online sports betting in the Pine Tree State.

The Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes are those in sole possession of the Maine sports betting market that will be 85% mobile. Retail sports betting will be available at local casinos and race tracks.

News tags: Attorney General Office | Janet Mills | LD 585 | Maine | Maine Gambling Control Unit