Maine to legalize online casinos through tribal operators

• Gov. Janet Mills will sign the law establishing an online casino framework
• The Gambling Control Unit will regulate iGaming for public safety, but this may not be legal
• Up to four licensed online casinos, one per tribal operator, with commercial operators excluded

Never mind the fact that the majority of people in Maine oppose iGaming and the expansion of the existing gambling sector - the state is getting its piece of the action.

The state, though, is careening towards online casinos as Gov. Janet Mills said on Thursday that she would sign off on the law that landed on her desk and will now establish a regulatory framework for iGaming, which will be managed by the Gambling Control Unit, which is not allowed under current laws to do so, despite the new statute’s passage.

Gov. Mills was the last obstacle, barring Maine from becoming the 8th state where online casinos are available in the country.

The governor said that concerns about the impact on society and public health by iGaming were justified, but the best way to address them would be to ensure that the activity is regulated.

"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 governor said, signaling her confidence in the regulator’s ability to ensure the best operational conditions for the state.

Moving forward, there will be up to four licensed online casinos in the state. Each of the four federally recognized tribes may offer one, usually through a link-up with an established gambling company.

DraftKings and Caesars already have partnerships with tribal operators, with the potential names of the other two casinos anyone’s guess. BetMGM, Fanatics, and FanDuel all have iGaming operations and would be theoretically willing to secure a spot, but not all would be able ot.

Despite the spot of good news, the law is subject to criticism, too. For once, Maine also has two commercial casinos that have now been put at a serious disadvantage.

Critics privately grumble that if it were the other way around, the tribal operators would have lobbied hard against the law’s passage and probably succeeded. The Oxford and Hollywood Casinos are not eligible to host an online casino.

In fact, the Gambling Control Board has said as much in a note: "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," the board similarly interjected, objecting to the shift of regulatory authority away from the watchdog onto a body that it argues it not allowed to do so by law.

Image credit: Unsplash.com