Maine Online Sports Betting

Maine gambling industry is a young and relatively recently instigated one, and it’s still growing. Slot machines were added to the scene in Maine in 2004, and that venue evolved into the state’s first commercial casino in 2008. Table casino games were added to Maine gambling scene in 2012, and a second casino opened later that year.

In that atmosphere for change and gambling expansion, harness racing is a big drawcard in Maine, as are Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and online horse racing betting sites.

Sports Betting is yet to become a reality in Maine, however with Rhode Island becoming the 8th U.S. to introduce legal sports betting, the race is on for other states in New England to join the sports betting club. Maine is no different as legislators in the state continue to put forward various proposals for sports betting legalization and the potential introduction of something along the lines of a NJ online sportsbook or two.

Maine did pass a law that legalized sports betting in May 2022, but there have been no rules to actually regulate and govern the industry. The state’s tribes have exclusive rights to online sportsbooks, but there is no timetable on when those will open. Nor is there a timeline on when Maine’s infrastructure will be ready for in-person sports wagering at the state’s casinos.

Maine’s gaming industry might be young, but it is varied and in the mood for expansion. The state offers the gambler a healthy mix of legal options in DFS, online horse racing, casinos, harness racing, live and video poker and charitable gambling.

Maine has a 5% state tax on gambling winnings.

Large gambling wins over $600 in Maine may possibly attract an additional Federal Tax.

Contact your tax attorney to assess your potential Federal tax liability if you have a big win in Maine.

Predictably, Maine adheres to the standard minimum legal gambling ages that are present in the North-East of the United States, notably 21 year-of-age for casino gambling and 18 years-of-age for DFS, horse racing, the state lottery and charitable gaming.

Betting on sports in Maine looks set to become law after Governor Janet Mills signed a new tribal sovereignty bill into law in May 2022. While the 2021 laws that the legislature worked out is still in committee, a provision was added to a 2022 tribal sovereignty bill that gave the tribes in Maine exclusive rights to online sports betting.

Mills had previously vetoed legislation in 2020 over concerns about the betting market extended beyond sports. However, she had no qualms with the latest legislation that officially legalized online sports betting. It is unclear as of September 2022 when online sportsbooks would open to the public.

Online sports betting is on the way to being legal in the state of Maine after Governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law in May 2022. There is no public timeline yet on when online sports betting will be available to the public, but until that time, there is legal DFS and horse and greyhound racing betting options online for Maine’s residents and visitors.

Federal lawmakers in the United States have ruled that Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) competitions are not gambling at all, however, they are skills-based games, not games of chance. Under U.S. Federal law, each state has been permitted to declare their own position on the legality of DFS competitions.

Maine’s Lawmakers did exactly that in the summer of 2017 and enacted and passed into law DFS legalization bill LD 1320. Since the passing the bill, all DFS sites are free to legally accept players from Maine and the pastime is booming with its now legal status in Maine.

When it finally arrives for Maine’s residents, legal eSports betting in the state should transform the gambling options available with new revolutionary ‘family-friendly’ forms of sports betting, untouched by a blemished legal history, led by eSports betting.

What are eSports?

Professional video game competitions, or ‘esports’, are a big thing these days. A huge scene has developed from within the underground gaming community to become a mainstream sport, and it’s growing at a rapid rate. Professional teams and players from around the world compete in leagues and tournaments that can offer prize pools worth millions of dollars. Most of these competitions attract massive audiences. Tens of thousands of people attend to watch live in packed stadiums, and there are many more millions more watching online.

The interest in esports is increasing all the time. Not only from those wanting to watch and play the games, but also from people who want to bet and win big on the professional video game contests. An increasing number of international sportsbooks offer competitive betting markets across all the major network of global eSports tournaments, as eSports betting grows rapidly now as a result of the exponential improvements in live video streaming technology.

Dota 2, StarCraft, Call of Duty, FIFA 18 and Overwatch, are the among the most popular games of the eSports world that the biggest pro teams compete for glory in and gamblers worldwide are cashing in on the action.

As sports betting becomes legal in Maine, we fully anticipate that eSports betting will lead the way in creating a new technologically-driven gambling landscape for the state’s residents to benefit from.

Horse Racing is unique in Maine as it boasts a rich heritage existing exclusively of harness racing. Harness Racing in Maine is administered by the Maine State Harness Racing Commission and the sport continues to be one of the state’s greatest revenue generating industries. While Harness Racing may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the lavish and much-loved racecourses and facilities on offer have been very much part of Maine’s gambling scene for almost 70 years.

Trackside

Maine has two Harness Racing tracks in addition to numerous county fair Harness Racing tracks that each host an annual thoroughbred race day (mostly during summer months).

Off Track Betting (OTB) in Maine

The State of Maine has network of eight off-track betting locations where bets can be placed on all harness races in Maine and thoroughbred races nationwide.

Online Horse Racing in Maine

The racebooks available to Maine residents online do have a small first deposit requirement, but they are easy to use. They offer easy access to online betting from your smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, other mobile device or home computer. Residents of Maine over the age of 18 have 100% legal access to online horse betting sites offering betting options on all the popular harness races in Maine, thoroughbred racing in the U.S. and major worldwide horse racing meetings.

Visit our page on Maine’s Online Gambling Laws for more information of the states regulations and reviews of the Maine’s best online casinos․