The Maine legislature approved a bill that changed the number of years that online sportsbooks get on their license to operate in the Pine Tree State from four years to one.
Commish Gets His Wish
The sportsbook license issued in Maine has been changed from four years to one and Governor Janet Mills signed the legislation into law at the end of March. The reduced licensing term has much more to do with easier record-keeping for the Maine Gaming Control Unit than it does any substantive changes for the wagering public.
The reason for the legislative action was due to a request from the executive director of the Maine Gaming Control Unit, Milton Champion, who had advised lawmakers at an earlier hearing that a yearly licensing term would be preferable to every four years.
“Tracking this information over four years is much harder to accomplish rather than on a regular basis,” Champion said. “Turning it over every year versus holding onto it for four years of information before renewing will help. We don’t want unintentional mistakes or oversights because of the length of time.”
Despite only two online sportsbooks operating in Maine (Caesars and DraftKings) since the mobile launch in November 2023, Champion has yet to issue permanent licenses as the background checks are not completed but some of that delay lies with the federal regulators.
Issuing temporary licenses will allow the industry to continue unabated even if the permanent licenses are not completed. “If the investigations aren’t done and we can’t issue a permanent license, we’d have to shut down operations, and we certainly don’t want to do that,” said Champion.
No Heavy Lifting
There are 33 sports betting-related licensees in Maine but the renewal forms are not exactly heavy lifting, according to Champion. The four major questions on the renewal form are the following:
- Changes to key executives.
- Changes to the ownership structure.
- Any adverse actions against the company.
- Any pending charges against the company.
Getting all of the licenses to renew at the same time will keep things orderly according to Champion. Dan Walker, an attorney representing Churchill Downs’s Oxford Casino, also said in-person sportsbooks in the state and the mobile operators should be aligned.
“If you have two programs with different cadences, it can be problematic,” Walker said.
BetMGM operates several off-track betting shops throughout the state while Penn Entertainment and Churchill Downs own casinos in the state with the option for sportsbooks to be housed within each of them.
However, Caesars and DraftKings are the only mobile providers in the state with each of them affiliated with the state’s four Native American gaming tribes. Caesars has partnered with the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq and Penobscot tribes while DraftKings partnered with the Passamaquoddy tribe.
Online casino gaming is a topic that has also reared its head in Maine and the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs voted 7-6 in favor of the bill. However, a gaming expansion is not something likely to get the support of the governor if the commercial casinos do not share in the proceeds with the state’s tribal nations.
