Maine timeline would allow online, mobile sports wagering to begin in November

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Temporary licenses for sports betting in Maine could be issued by November, allowing the long-awaited launch of mobile and online wagering, officials said Monday.

The Maine Gambling Control Unit has submitted proposed rules governing sports betting to the attorney general’s office for review, and the state will be poised to act upon anticipated adoption in November, said Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“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,” she said in a statement.

The law adopted by state lawmakers went into effect nearly a year ago, but the director of the Gambling Control Unit said it was important to move slowly.

Mobile and online wagering is expected to account for 85% of the sports betting market in Maine, providing a conduit for revenue for Native American tribes who were given control of the online sports betting market in Maine.

Each tribe can select its own vendor, meaning there could be up to four licenses for the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy tribes at Indian Township and Pleasant Point, Houlton Band of Maliseets, and Mi’kmaq.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills gave control of the mobile and online sports betting market to Native American tribes, providing an olive branch after she scuttled their proposal for greater sovereignty last year.