Maine Senate overrides Governor's veto of sports betting

February 6, 2020
By

Sports betting in Maine moved one step closer to legalizing sports betting as the Senate achieved a two-thirds majority vote to override a veto from Governor Janet Mills (D).

Governor Mills vetoed a sports betting bill in January that would allow for retail and sports wagering in the state. 

The Maine Senate overrode the veto with a 20-10 vote. 

The House will need a two-third vote to overturn Governor Mills’ veto and send sports betting into law. 

Democrats control majorities in both the Senate and House. 

Lawmakers passed the sports betting bill in June 2019. 

Governor Mills cast doubt towards sports gambling’s economic impact in a letter penned to lawmakers following her decision to veto the bill. 

Governor Mills wrote: “We are also told that the state can access new revenues by legalizing sports betting. But for the more than dozen states that have enacted legislation regarding this form of gambling, revenues have fallen far short of projections for a variety of reasons, and the economic impact of mobile sports gambling on preexisting facilities, given the potential saturation in the market, is uncertain.

Maine is home to two horse track casinos: Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino. 

Maine’s harness racing tracks and off-track betting establishments would also be eligible to apply for sports betting licenses, as would the state’s Native American tribes. 

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