More states are going to legalise sports betting in 2020 and Maine could very well be the first one to do so. The bill that Maine lawmakers passed back in June 2019, LD 553, is now on Governor Janet Mills’ desk and awaits her signature. If she signs it, then legal sports betting will be active in Maine.
However, observers are not holding their breath. This is because the bill has been on her desk for six months now and the Governor has not been very eager to sign it. If she does not sign it by midnight (10 Jan), the state will have to wait for the next legislative session to start.
This is why Representative Scott Strom has taken to the media and asked the Governor to sign. In a recent article in one of the state’s newspapers, the Bangor News, Strom pointed out that Maine needed LD 553 to effectively control the illegal gambling market in the state. With LD 553, the state receives a solid legal framework on how to deal with gambling and ensure that local gamblers will have an outlet for their gambling that doesn’t take them over the border to New Hampshire, which costs the state precious revenue.
Mills has not signed the bill which is strange given the fact that it was Democrats that supported the bill and Mills herself as a Democrat. Some speculate that it is not politics that is stopping Mills from signing the bill. For some reason she does not want to see her name on this piece of legislation.
The problem with this theory is that Mills’ office was greatly involved in creating the bill. LD553 was welcomed by the state legislature because of the low tax rate and the open competitive environment that is supported. It is the most permissive state in the New England region. Rhode Island and New Hampshire have legal sports betting but have been very strict in their regulation.
The Maine bill does not have a lot of many restrictions. Besides allowing for state-wide sports betting on a mobile platform, it also allows for stand-alone mobile betting, which means that there is no need for a brick-and-mortar presence.
It is also pretty liberal in giving out licenses with affordable fees and low rates.
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