Maine issues proposed rules for sports betting
Maine launched the formal process of instituting sports betting in the state.
US.- Eight months after Maine governor Janet Mills signed a law legalising sports betting in the state and giving its tribes exclusive rights to conduct online wagering, the Gambling Control Unit has released rules regulating sports betting, providing a framework for how the market will operate.
The law adopted by state lawmakers went into effect in August, but Milton Champion, the director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, said it was important to move slowly to get the rules right.
The rules unveiled Wednesday will spell out the licence application process and govern issues such as advertising, protecting customers’ data and in-person facility betting requirements.
Champion said the rules likely won’t be ready before April and may take as long as January 2024 to craft: “I know this is a hot topic. I know everybody wants it out during the Super Bowl or during March Madness. But let’s face it. It’s just not going to happen that quickly,” he told reporters.
“Basically, what is happening today is opening the door for having conversations,” Champion added.
A public hearing is scheduled for January 31.
In Maine, sports betting is expected to generate between $3.8m and $6.9m in revenue for the state, on top of $64m from casinos and other legal gambling in 2022, according to Champion.
In May, Maine governor Janet Mills signed a law legalising sports betting in the state and giving the state’s tribes exclusive rights to conduct online wagering. The new law allows Maine’s existing casinos to conduct in-person sports betting.
Each of four Native American tribes will be able to apply for a single mobile sports betting licence, and the state will receive 10 per cent of adjusted gross sports wagering receipts. Upon launch, it’s expected that four sportsbooks will be operational, each partnered with one of the state’s four tribes. FanDuel and DraftKings are live in Maine via their fantasy offerings.
Tax revenue would be distributed in several ways including to the state’s general fund. Each mobile licence would cost $200,000 and last four years, while the four-year retail sports betting licences would cost $4,000.
