Efforts to bring iGaming to Maine have failed as the most recent attempt has been voted down by the House amidst concerns that it would negatively impact commercial casinos should the state’s tribes gain exclusive control over the market.
No More in ‘24
Rhode Island became just the seventh state in the nation to offer online casino gambling when it launched in early March, while Maine was expected to have the best chance at doing the same but those efforts have been stymied. In the end, a revived Senate bill to bring online casino gaming to the Maine market proved fruitless after the House voted it down by a margin of 75-70, ending any chance of iGaming coming to Maine this year.
Although some believed the tribe’s focus on sovereignty over obtaining exclusivity on online casino gambling meant they were ambivalent to the issue, a tribal spokesperson said that was not the case and embraced the positive economic impact the new revenue stream would provide.
Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana said she was pleased that the Senate revived the bill. “Sovereignty remains the ultimate goal of all Wabanaki tribes, but economic development is critical to the tribes’ desire for self-determination,” Dana said. “This bill would definitely help us do that.”
Dana also added, “We would be spending all of that money here in the state of Maine because we are also state of Maine citizens. This economic empowerment will not only strengthen tribal sovereignty but also enhance the overall (well) being of tribal members.”
Exclusivity for The Tribes?
One of the sponsors of iGaming bill LD 1777, Senator Laura Supica, believes the Native American tribes should be the sole iGaming operators in the state.
“Much of the concern comes from the fact that it is exclusively for the tribes,” said Supica. “But for me, that is why I wholeheartedly support it, because this is a wonderful opportunity for the state of Maine to begin to make some corrections to how they have enacted past gaming laws.”
The expansion of mobile sports betting has caught on like wildfire throughout the United States but the expansion of iGaming has moved at a glacial pace. Only seven states offer digital casino gambling compared to the 38 states (plus DC) that offer mobile and/or retail sports betting.
This last gambit by the Maine Senate is likely to spell an end to any additional states joining the iGaming market this year.
iGaming Trepidation
Some legislators believe land-based casinos could be adversely affected if the state’s Native American tribes were granted an exclusive monopoly on the digital iGaming market. One of them is Representative David Boyer, R-Poland, who is a supporter of mobile casino gambling but not at the peril of the state’s casinos.
“As much as I want to play online poker, this isn’t the way to do it,” Boyer said. “I’m concerned with the jobs that are at stake in Oxford and Bangor. The tax rates are not comparable. The brick-and-mortar casinos have a very high tax rate.”
But other legislators were concerned the state would see a spike in compulsive gambling as the seamless access to slots and table games via a mobile device or personal computer could make it too easy to develop a serious problem.
Steve Silver is chair of the Maine Gambling Control Board and publicly voiced his concern that mobile casino gaming would create more problems than it is worth. In a recent op/ed piece run by the Portland Press Herald, Silver wrote:
“Inviting out-of-state corporations to switch on mobile apps that that allow Mainers to gamble anywhere at any time with credit cards is a potentially dangerous expansion of gambling. In fact, a study out of the United Kingdom found that internet gaming is 10 times more addictive than other forms of gambling. Those most susceptible to internet gaming addiction are younger individuals. We are already seeing this play out nationally, and here in Maine, since the legalization of mobile sports gambling.”
