Sports Gambling Likely Coming to Maine Soon

As it looks, legal sports betting might be coming very soon to the US state of Maine. Lawmakers from the Pine Tree State want to this very lucrative branch of the gambling industry because it might potentially bring to the state wallet over $150 billion each year.

The Process of Sports Gambling Legalization

Just last Friday, the state lawmakers held a meeting with representatives from Maine’s two casinos…

…Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway in Bangor and Oxford Casino in Oxford.

At the meeting, there were also representatives from the state’s off-track gambling parlors and they were all discussing the future of sports betting in Maine.

At the moment, there is a total of five bill variants that are being reviewed and each bill has a different approach to the subject.

Michael Sweeney, a publicity director of Scarborough Downs racetrack, said that legalizing sports betting in Maine would not be great because of the revenue…

…but will also help businesses like Scarborough Downs to gain more money.

“This is an opportunity for industries that are home-grown, locally based, small mom-and-pop businesses to grow and thrive,” he told to the Maine lawmakers.

New Legal Framework Not Needed

Great thing is that setting up a legal framework needed for the legalization of sports betting won’t be overly complicated. Since Maine already has two casinos that are approved and regulated by state officials…

…introducing new sports betting option would not require totally new laws.

Of course, there will always be those lawmakers who are against this type of gambling and who believe that it will lead to an increased number of gambling addicts.

Maine’s Veteran and Legal Affairs Committee accepted testimony last Friday on all five of the bills and it is a big step ahead. But, still, there is a lot more work that has to be done.

“There is only so much discretionary funds available, in my view, indicates that New England has or is very close to reaching its saturation point. It is essential, however, that we have the ability to offer what the competition offers. And by competition, I am referring to other states,” Milton Champion, the executive director of the Gambling Control Unit, said in the hearing.

Sports Betting in New England

At the moment, Rhode Island is the only state in the region of New England that has fully legalized wagering on sports events.

Actually, after the US Supreme Court lifted the sports betting ban in May 2018…

…it was one of the first US states that introduced legal sports betting way back in November of 2018.

Also, just before the start of March Madness, two RI sportsbooks, Twin River Tiverton and Twin River Lincoln, installed the very first self-betting kiosks in the state.

Source:

“Sports gambling most likely coming to Maine soon”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, April 29, 2019.