Maine Gambling Control Board Urges Governor to Veto iGaming Bill

• The Maine Gambling Control Board sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills (D) in late December asking her to veto an approved iGaming bill
• The Maine House and Senate approved LD 1164, a bill to legalize iGaming, this past June
• Gov. Mills chose to take no action on the bill and now has three days after Jan. 7 to veto bills or allow them to become law

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The Maine Gambling Control Board has sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills (D), urging her to consider a veto of the approved legislation.

The Maine Gambling Control Board sent a letter to Gov. Mills on Dec. 17, 2025, urging her to veto LD 1164, a bill to legalize iGaming in the Pine Tree State. The bill legalizes iGaming for the four tribes of the Wabanaki Nations in a similar fashion to how Maine legalized sports betting.

The Gaming Control Board shared concerns over the bill, alleging that if legalized it will create an iGaming monopoly for the Wabanaki Nations, shutting out two other land-based casinos from the new form of gaming.

Gaming Control Board Urges Veto

Steven J. Silver, Chairman of the Gaming Control Board, wrote to Mills on behalf of the board last month. The letter, obtained by Sports Betting Dime, urges Mills to veto the legislation, noting that in its current form iGaming would be harmful to consumers and Maine casino workers.

“Although the Board has varying personal opinions about the general merits of legalizing Internet Gaming (“iGaming”), we are unified in our belief that any qualified operator should have the ability to obtain an iGaming license including the Wabanaki Nations. Cutting out Oxford and Hollywood Casinos entirely from offering iGaming is ill-advised and creates a monopoly that is harmful to consumers and the Maine workers employed by Oxford and Hollywood Casinos.”

Silver warned the iGaming bill only approves the new form of gaming for the Wabanaki Nations, excluding both Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino. Without allowing the two casinos to benefit from iGaming revenues, this could potentially lead to the loss of 100 to 200 casino jobs.

Currently, the Mi’kmak Nation, Maliseet Tribe, and Penobscot Nation are all partnered with Caesars Sportsbook for their retail and online sports betting services, while the Passamaquoddy Tribe is partnered with DraftKings.

The partnerships will likely not change if LD 1164 is signed into law, with DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook remaining as the only two licensed iGaming operators in the state.

“However, Oxford and Hollywood Casinos employ nearly 1,000 Mainers. Legalizing iGaming without permitting Oxford and Hollywood to participate will lead to job cuts. During the Board’s October meeting, representatives from Oxford Casino explained that approximately 120 Mainers will lose their jobs due to LD 1164’s impact on that property alone. Hollywood Casino anticipates significant job losses as well. We cannot afford to put 100-200 Mainers out of work,” Silver wrote.

Additionally, the legalization of iGaming may cause an increase in Maine problem gaming rates. In 2022, the Gaming Control Board recorded 133 residents who self-excluded from casino gambling prior to the legalization of online sports betting. Currently, there are 498 residents who have self-excluded, an increase of 275% in just three years.

Legalized iGaming will only add to the addiction rates, he noted.

“We understand that you have a difficult decision to make in January. However, after hearing from our current gaming licensees, we know that LD 1164 would cause significant harm to Mainers. Therefore, we the Maine Gambling Control Board, unanimously urge you to veto LD 1164.”

What Will Gov. Mills Do?

With the governor declining to take action prior to the conclusion of the legislative session, she will have three days beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to make a decision on LD 1164.

Maine’s iGaming bill had a strange journey to approval in 2025 The bill was introduced early in the year, but received little to no interest. It was resurrected by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee in May after Gov. Mills directed lawmakers to come back for a special session to discuss the state’s upcoming budget.

The Maine Senate approved the bill earlier this month by an 85-59 vote, but the Senate took a different route to approval. The Senate split on the bill initially, tabling it on June 12. The Senate took the bill back up on Monday, attempting to reject it outright, but a vote fell short. Members of the Senate ultimately passed the bill without a roll call, took it up again late Monday night, but a motion to reconsider failed 17-18.

Following legislative protocol, both the House and Senate followed the recommendation of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and approved the bill.

If signed into law, Maine will become the eighth state in the country to approve iGaming.

Each of the four tribes will be allowed to partner with a third-party operator for its iGaming platforms. Tribes can offer Maine online casino games not limited to blackjack, poker, dice, craps, roulette or baccarat.

The games will be taxed at a rate of 16%. Maine will earmark iGaming funds to address problem gaming programs, substance use disorder, veteran housing, and emergency housing relief. A fiscal note for the bill reports the state can expect $3,600,000 in new tax revenues by fiscal year 2026-2027.