Online, mobile sports betting begins in November in Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine –

Temporary sports betting licenses in Maine could be issued in November, enabling the much-anticipated launch of mobile and online betting, officials said Monday.

The Maine Gambling Control Unit has submitted proposed sports betting rules to the attorney general’s office for review, and the state will be ready to act after approval expected in November, said Shannon Moss, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“Temporary or initial licenses will be issued on the day of approval to allow licensees to go live and offer sports betting in accordance with the law and regulations,” she said in a statement.

The law passed by state legislators went into effect nearly a year ago, but the director of the Gambling Control Unit said it was important to move slowly.

Mobile and online betting is expected to account for 85 percent of the Maine sports betting market, providing a revenue channel for Native American tribes who took control of Maine’s online sports betting market.

Each tribe can choose its own supplier, meaning there can be up to four licenses for the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy tribes in Indian Township and Pleasant Point, Houlton Band of Maliseets, and Mi’kmaq.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills gave control of the mobile and online sports betting market to Native American tribes and provided an olive branch after she scuttled their proposal for more sovereignty last year.