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The push to legalize sports betting in Maine looked very positive earlier this year after the Main House decided to vote in favour and enact the sports betting bill. The bill needed further approval from the Senate before it could go for approval to Maine Governor Janet Mills.
However the Senate decided to adjourn for this session and as a result of not acting on LB 1352, it remains pending on the Appropriations Table. The bill will be in limbo till Jan 5, 2022 when the Senate meets against for their next regular session which will be their 130th legislative session.
This is the second time that Maine has stalled the push to legalize sports betting. A similar sports betting bill was introduced in 2019 and it received approval from the Maine legislature. The bill was very liberal and allowed for both mobile and in-person wagering.
NEWS CENTER Maine
The bill did not make any demands for an online betting operator to be affiliated with a land based casino in the state as is the case with a lot of states that have legalized sports betting. The 2019 bill ended up going the distance and it was left up to Governor Mills to sign it into existence but she ended up vetoing the bill.
Senator Louis Luchini introduced LB 1352 in 2020 which once again had provision for independent operators to apply for a betting license in Maine without the need for being affiliated with land based casinos in the state. This provision would allow for top betting operators like DraftKings and FanDuel to offer betting services in the state without having to partner with any land based casino.
When the bill was reviewed by the Senate, they decided to amend the bill and make it mandatory for all licensed betting operators to partner with land based casinos. The amendment was made and the bill was approved by the House.
Louis Luchini Okay For Bill To Fail
Senator Luchini was not happy when his sports betting bill was amended to make it mandatory for licensed operators to partner with land based casinos. If the bill does get approval in Jan 2022 and proceeds to Governor Mills desk for approval, it is quite possible that she decides to veto the bill once again.
Senator Luchini does not mind if Governor Mills vetoes his bill as he does not want a sports betting bill that makes it mandatory for independent operators to be affiliated with land based casinos.
