• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

Sports Betting Bill Left In Committee As Maine Session Set To Close

To tether or not to tether is a key question that has held up legislation

Jill R. Dorson by Jill R. Dorson
June 16, 2021
in Regulation
Buoys-Building-Maine-Seacoast
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

After multiple committee hearings, work groups, and discussion about amendments, it appears that the Maine state legislature will close on Wednesday with no action on sports betting.

As of late Tuesday night, no amendments to LB 1352 had been filed, and the bill remained assigned to the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.

It’s likely that the legislature will reconvene for a special session to continue work on the budget and other issues and sports betting could come up, potentially setting up a scenario similar to the one that played out in 2019-20.

At that time, the legislature approved sports wagering in June 2019 and Gov. Janet Mills sat on the bill until the 11th hour, vetoing it in January 2020.

“I remain unconvinced at this time that the majority of Maine people are ready to legalize, support, endorse and promote betting on competitive athletic event,” Mills wrote in a veto letter.

Many lawmakers disagreed, and the Senate was able to override the veto, but the House could not muster enough support.

Lawmakers trying to appease governor

Should sports betting come up during a special session this summer, Mills could again leave the bill on her desk for months. Even if the legislature approves sports betting in summer session and Mills signs off on it quickly, it’s not certain operators could launch before the end of 2021.

MAINE:

The Maine House today quashed legal sports betting when it voted 85-57 to sustain Governor Janet Mills' veto of a 2019 bill, just 5 days after Senate voted to override the veto.

According to sources, this action could put sports betting in Maine on hold for two years.

— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) February 11, 2020

Lawmakers filed four sports betting bills this session, but killed three during a committee meeting in early June. A key discussion point was whether or not to require digital platforms to be tethered to brick-and-mortar casinos or horse racetracks. The bill that moved forward, LB 1352, did not initially require that. The casino lobby pushed for it, and other stakeholders said they could live with tethering, but an amendment to the bill never materialized.

According to sources, lawmakers have been trying to craft a bill to mollify Mills — meaning any legislation would need strict problem-gambling guardrails, clear advertising guidelines, and do everything possible to prevent minors from becoming involved in sports betting. These are widely accepted initiatives, of course.  Sources also say that many around the governor are on board with sports betting, but Luchini’s bill stalled. And despite support from stakeholders, Luchini is opposed to the tethering model, and that could be a hold up, per sources.

Maine lagging in New England

For now, sports betting remains an unresolved issue, and Maine moved from potentially being a first mover in New England to lagging behind the pack. Rhode Island was the first New England state to legalize in 2018, followed by New Hampshire in 2019, and Connecticut in on May 27.

All three states either do or will offer some version of statewide mobile wagering. Maine has only two border states — New Hampshire and Vermont, which does not have legal sports betting. DraftKings has a monopoly in New Hampshire, and its an open secret, say sources, that Mainers are crossing the southern border to wager on the New England’s favorite teams — the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins … and anything else they’re interested in.

Massachusetts lawmakers are set to have a hearing on more than a dozen sports betting bills on June 17.

ShareTweetShare
Jill R. Dorson

Jill R. Dorson

Jill has covered everything from steeplechase to the NFL and then some during a more than 30-year career in sports journalism. The highlight of her career was covering Oakland Raiders during the Charles Woodson/Jon Gruden era, including the infamous “Snow Bowl” and the Raiders’ 2003 trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. Her specialty these days is covering sports betting legislation across the country. You can reach Jill at [email protected]

Related Posts

maine-lighthouse-sunset
Analysis

Will Maine’s Proposed Wagering Regulations Scare Operators Away?

March 16, 2023
gambling addiction
Industry

What’s Wrong With Responsible Gambling?

March 16, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

taylor mathis

Taylor Mathis Got Sacrificed At The Altar Of Responsible Gambling

March 20, 2023
fanduel baseball wall

Premade Same Game Parlays Are Sucker Bets

March 13, 2023
maginfier-over-small-print

Read The Fine Print: A Proposed Federal Rule Could Change Everything For Indian Gaming

March 6, 2023
roman reigns wwe

Colorado Denies Report Stating That It’s Considering WWE Wagering

March 8, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
March 27, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 27, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2023

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright © 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News

loading

Please wait while you are redirected to the right page...