Maine retail sports betting venues ‘not ready’ for November launch

Three retail sites anticipate that they can accept wagers in December or January.

As the state of Maine gears up to launch statewide sports betting later this fall, in-person retail locations have said they “will not be ready” when the state goes live, according to local news report in the Portland Press Herald.

Three local retail destinations said they will be ready to accept wagers by December or in early 2024.

Two of the three locations, Cumberland Fairgrounds and Favorites Off-Track Betting, are moving to new sites, the local report said. Both destinations moved to new spaces “in anticipation of more customers when sports betting is launched in November.”

The state of Maine pulled the trigger to legalize sports betting in August 2022. However, compiling detailed rules surrounding governing betting operations statewide delayed opening the commercial market.

The current rules on the books are waiting for an approval from the state attorney general’s office before the state can move forward.

Milt Champion, who leads the agency in charge of the state’s gambling, told the Press Herald he is confident that sports wagering in Maine will launch in November; and that he is prepared to approve licensing for state operators and providers, once the attorney general approves the proposed regulations.

Champion went on to add that be believes licenses will be awarded on a temporary basis until background investigations have been conducted.

However, Maine’s Indigenous Tribes hold exclusive rights to online wagering.

Since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, online gambling is currently available in more than 30 states, with 18 of those allowing for legal online sports wagering.

Isabella Santos

Writer

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