The Maine Gambling Control Board met Tuesday morning, with the group briefly discussing the state’s upcoming sports betting launch. Proposed regulations for Maine’s sports wagering system are currently under review, and a mobile launch is expected in the coming months.
“They’re under legal review, and we’re working the details out now with an anticipation to go live in November,” said Milt Champion, executive director of Maine’s Gambling Control Unit.
Champion added that applications for licenses are “starting to trickle in.”
Maine, with a projected November launch, joins a pair of other states expected to welcome legal mobile sportsbooks into their jurisdictions by the end of 2023 — with another on the horizon for early 2024.
Kentucky, September
Kentucky is first up on the list of states with legal sports betting soon to come. Retail sportsbooks will go live on Sept. 7, the first day of NFL season. Mobile sportsbooks are expected to launch in Kentucky on Sept. 28.
“Bringing sports wagering to the state not only gives Kentuckians a much-anticipated new form of entertainment, but also brings money to the state to support pensions, freeing up money that can be used to build a better Kentucky through the funding of education, economic development, disaster recovery, and other necessary projects, like providing cleaner water, building roads and high-speed internet,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a recent press release.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the state’s sports wagering regulator, is expected to vote on license applications at next week’s commission meeting. The KHRC recently shared that it received mobile sports wagering applications from bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PENN Interactive. It’s not yet known if PENN will launch a Barstool Sportsbook-branded book in September in Kentucky or wait until November to go live with its shift to ESPN BET.
Kentucky’s legislation allows for each of the state’s nine racetracks to have a retail sportsbook, three mobile partners, and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at satellite locations.
Churchill Downs, Cumberland Run, Ellis Park, Oak Grove Gaming and Racing, Sandy’s Racing and Gaming, The Red Mile, and Turfway Park have all submitted applications for retail licenses.
Vermont, December
After sportsbooks go live in Maine around November, mobile sports betting operators are expected to launch in Vermont by the end of 2023.
The state’s sports betting regulator is required to accept between two and six digital sports wagering license applicants, and those applications are due by Aug. 28. The regulator’s request for proposal includes scoring criteria for license applicants, which weighs such factors as company experience, integrity, and product and software quality.
North Carolina, first half of 2024
North Carolinians won’t have legal mobile sports betting by the end of 2023, but they might not have to wait long into 2024 to use legal mobile platforms. Mobile sportsbooks are expected to launch in North Carolina between Jan. 8, 2024, and June 14.
There are up to 12 licenses available for mobile operators.
The state’s sports betting regulator, the North Carolina Lottery Commission, has not begun accepting applications for licenses. The commission is in the process of hiring additional staff members, but it has yet to announce a meeting schedule for sports betting regulatory matters.
