Maine Pushes For Sports Betting Launch In 2023

Expectations are still high that Maine could get legal sports betting before the end of the year. This is despite the fact that the state’s executive director, Milton Champion, was temporarily suspended from his job.

Champion was placed on leave in May due to some problematic social media posts. These saw the executive director expressing frustration with not being able to use the term ‘ladies’ for women’s sports, and instead suggested that the word ‘bitches’ could be used instead.

However, Champion was admitted back to the role in July and his return aided the Maine Gambling Control Unit to submit its last round of regulations for legal sports betting in the Pine Tree State to the Attorney General.

Once these regulations have been approved, it could open the door to ME sports betting as early as November. All that is required is for the temporary or initial licenses to be issued and then the sportsbooks can go live and offer sports bets according to state law.

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What to expect from legal sports betting in Maine

The Pine Tree State can expect to get a sports betting format that broadly mirrors what is currently underway in neighboring states such as Massachusetts. This is because the Maine Gambling Control Unit has assembled the basic legal framework for betting on states like Massachusetts and Colorado that have already successfully implemented legal sports betting.

As a result, sports fans in Maine should expect to see strict rules over the advertising of online sportsbooks, as well as the outright ban on celebrities endorsing or promoting betting on sport. There will also be strict rules that curtail the advertising of promotional offers within the state.

Control of mobile betting in Maine will go to four tribes, and three of these are expected to partner up with Caesars as their sports betting operator. It is thought that having just a single operator will help to speed up the process of issuing licenses.

The bill for legal sports betting in Maine was finally signed into law in spring 2022 after multiple failed previous attempts. Much of the remainder of 2022 was spent finalizing the regulations, and the first draft of the sports betting legal framework was issued at the start of 2023.

It was at this time that Champion suggested that sports betting could go live in Maine as early as summer 2023, however, it seems that that is no longer possible. While there are hopes for a November 2023 launch, even Champion has hinted that an early 2024 launch seems more realistic.

There is the potential for anywhere up to four online sportsbooks in the state, as well as 10 retail sportsbook locations within Maine. However, an interesting twist is the fact that all members of the Sports Betting Alliance have already confirmed that they won’t be seeking a license. This means that there won’t be the heavyweight likes of DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM or Fanatics, and it could make for a more wide-open sports betting scene in the Pine Tree State.