Maine legalized online casinos for the Wabanaki tribes in January 2026, but no site is licensed yet. Here is where the law stands and what you can actually play right now.
Real-money online casinos
Passed LD 1164, not yet live
Online sports betting
Legal, tribal operators only
Online lottery
Not available, retail only
Sweepstakes / social casinos
Banned under LD 2007
Commercial casinos
Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino
Tribal casinos
None, tribal bingo only
Minimum gambling age
21 for casinos and sports, 18 for lottery
Regulator
Maine Gambling Control Unit
The 1980 Settlement Carve-Out
Why the Wabanaki Were Locked Out of IGRA
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed in 1988 and gave every federally recognized tribe a clear federal path to casino gaming through a state compact. Every tribe except the four in Maine. The 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, 25 USC 1721 et seq., closed 12.5 million acres of land claims with a cash settlement and one unusual catch. Section 6(h) says any federal Indian law passed after 1980 does not apply in Maine unless Congress writes the Wabanaki in by name. IGRA never did. The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet spent the next 38 years treated as Maine municipalities for gaming purposes, blocked from the same compacts that built Foxwoods, Pechanga, and the rest of Indian country.
MICSA enacted
Oct 10, 1980
IGRA enacted
Oct 17, 1988
Wabanaki gaming gap
38 years
States with this carve-out
Only ME
What MICSA changed for the Wabanaki
Other federally recognized tribes
IGRA gives every federally recognized tribe a clear path to Class III gaming through a compact with the state. Roughly 250 tribes operate casinos under that framework today.
The Wabanaki Nations
MICSA Section 6(h) says federal laws enacted after 1980 for the benefit of Indians do not apply in Maine unless Congress lists the Wabanaki by name. IGRA did not. Maine kept jurisdiction.
Why it took a state bill
The fix was never going to come from federal court. LD 585 in 2022 and LD 1164 in 2026 are state statutes that route around MICSA by handing tribes a Maine-issued license rather than a federal one.
That carve-out also explains why LD 1164 took the shape it did. Other states with tribal iGaming, like Connecticut and Michigan, layer state law on top of federal IGRA compacts. Maine cannot do that. Its tribes need a Maine-issued license to operate legally, which is exactly why Churchill Downs built its January 2026 lawsuit around the equal-protection and commerce clauses rather than federal Indian law. The Wabanaki Nations filed a joint motion to intervene and won it in April 2026.
Regulatory Timeline
How It Happened
LD 585 becomes law
Maine's sports betting bill takes effect, giving the four Wabanaki tribes exclusive rights to mobile sports betting.
Mobile sports betting goes live
Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings launch in Maine. Caesars partnered with the Penobscot, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet nations, DraftKings with the Passamaquoddy.
LD 1164 becomes law
Governor Mills lets the tribal-exclusive iGaming bill pass without her signature, making Maine the eighth state to authorize online casinos.
Churchill Downs sues the state
Oxford Casino's owner files a federal lawsuit calling the iGaming monopoly race-based and unconstitutional.
Mills signs LD 2007
Maine bans dual-currency sweepstakes casinos, with civil fines of $10,000 to $100,000 per violation.
Sports-Betting Market Share
DraftKings Took Eight Out of Ten Bets
The Passamaquoddy Tribe is the smallest of the four Wabanaki Nations by enrollment. It also signed the only exclusive partnership with DraftKings. Since mobile launch on November 3, 2023, DraftKings has run more than three of every four wagers placed in the state. Caesars partnered with the Penobscot, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet nations, and the three of them split the remaining handle. Maine posted $524.4 million in total wagers in 2024, its first full calendar year, and roughly $6 million in state tax.
DraftKings share, Aug 2024
83%
Caesars share (3 tribes)
17%
2024 total handle
$524M
Mobile launch
Nov 3, 2023
The four Wabanaki Nations, their sportsbook skins, and approximate 2024 market share of Maine sports betting.
Tribe and skin
Share
Note
Passamaquoddy TribeDraftKings Sportsbook
~82%
Sipayik and Indian Township reservations. Smallest Wabanaki Nation by enrollment, largest gaming partner by handle. Took the highest market share every month since November 2023.
Penobscot NationCaesars Sportsbook
~6%
Indian Island, Old Town. Joined the Caesars partnership in 2023. Caesars opened the state’s first retail sportsbook at Oddfellahs in Portland on September 13, 2024.
Mi’kmaq NationCaesars Sportsbook
~6%
Aroostook County, headquartered in Presque Isle. Federally recognized in 1991. Shares the Caesars skin with the Penobscot and Maliseet.
Houlton Band of Maliseet IndiansCaesars Sportsbook
~5%
Houlton. Shares the Caesars skin. License renewal at $200,000 every four years applies to each tribal license individually.
Revenue inside each partnership splits the same way under LD 585. The tribe keeps 50 percent of net gross gaming receipts. The operator takes between 30 and 40 percent. The state collects 10 percent of adjusted gross revenue on top. Each license costs $200,000 to renew every four years. With the same split applied to a market this lopsided, the Passamaquoddy bring in more sports-betting revenue alone than the other three Wabanaki Nations combined.
The Six-Way Tax Split
Maine's 10% Sports Tax, Sliced Six Ways
Maine wrote the most distributed sports-betting tax in the country. Title 8, Section 1036 of the Maine Revised Statutes splits the 10 percent state cut six ways before a dollar lands in the General Fund. Two of those slices, harness racing and the Sire Stakes Fund, do not show up in any other state's sports-betting law. A third, the Agricultural Fair Promotion Fund, is unique to Maine. The split was a condition of moving LD 585 out of the Appropriations Committee in 2022.
6.5%
General Fund
The largest slice. Lands in the general appropriations pool with no further earmark, funding whatever the legislature directs each biennium.
1%
Gambling Control Unit admin
Pays the salaries and overhead of the unit inside the Department of Public Safety that audits operators and licenses tribal partners.
1%
Gambling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Fund
Statutory floor. Funds 1-800-GAMBLER referrals, treatment-provider grants, and the state self-exclusion list.
0.55%
State Harness Racing Commission
Subsidizes Maine’s shrinking pari-mutuel harness racing circuit at Scarborough Downs and the county fair tracks.
0.55%
Sire Stakes Fund
Pays purses for races restricted to Maine-bred standardbred horses. The two harness allocations stack to 1.1 percent.
0.4%
Agricultural Fair Promotion Fund
Goes to county and state fairs across Maine. The only sports-betting tax in the country earmarked for fairs.
Two structural points sit underneath. First, only 65 cents of every state-tax dollar reaches the General Fund. The other 35 cents are pre-allocated to constituencies that the legislature did not want to fund through general appropriations. Second, this is the framework LD 1164 will inherit when online slots and table games launch. The tax rate on iGaming gross revenue is 16 percent, and the allocation language follows the same six-way structure adjusted upward. The harness racing and agricultural fair earmarks survive into the iCasino tax.
Where to Play
Casinos for Maine Players
With Maine's licensed online market still in rulemaking, these are placeholders until the tribal iGaming launches and our database is wired in.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
The Law
Why Maine's Online Market Is Not Live Yet
Maine's path to iGaming runs through tribal sovereignty. The 2022 sports betting law, LD 585, gave the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Mi'kmaq Nation, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians the only mobile sports betting licenses in the state. Three years later, LD 1164 extended the tribal-exclusive model to online casinos. Governor Mills allowed the bill to become law without signing it on January 11, 2026, after holding it through the summer of 2025.
The law is on the books, but no operator has been licensed yet. The Maine Gambling Control Unit, a bureau inside the Department of Public Safety, has to draft platform rules, responsible-gaming standards, and tribal partnership terms before any site can launch. Executive director Milt Champion told lawmakers a launch by early 2027 is realistic. Churchill Downs, which owns Oxford Casino, sued the state in January 2026 arguing the tribal monopoly is unconstitutional, and the National Association Against iGaming is organizing a people's veto petition. Either could push the launch back.
How LD 1164 Compares
The Eighth iGaming State, A Model of One
Seven states had already legalized online casino gaming before Maine. Each one used either commercial licensing (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia), a hybrid commercial-and-tribal structure (Michigan), a state-lottery monopoly (Delaware, Rhode Island), or a hybrid where two tribes share the market with the state lottery (Connecticut). LD 1164 is the first U.S. statute to lock iGaming entirely to federally recognized tribes, four of them in this case, with one skin each.
The eight US states that have legalized online casino gaming, with launch date, licensee structure, skin counts, and notes.
State and launch
Licensee structure
Notes
Maine2027 (target)
Four Wabanaki Nations4 (one per tribe) skins
Tribal-exclusive. The first U.S. state to lock iGaming entirely to federally recognized tribes by statute, even though MICSA still excludes the Wabanaki from IGRA.
ConnecticutOct 19, 2021
Two tribes plus state lottery3 skins
Hybrid. DraftKings runs the Foxwoods skin for the Mashantucket Pequot, FanDuel runs the Mohegan Sun skin for the Mohegan Tribe, and the Connecticut Lottery runs PlaySugarHouse.
New JerseyNov 21, 2013
Atlantic City casino licensees30+ skins
Commercial. Each of the seven AC casinos can run up to five online skins. The largest and most competitive iGaming market in the country.
Hybrid commercial and tribal. Each licensee gets one skin. Tribal partners use IGRA, which is available to them because Michigan has no MICSA-style carve-out.
West VirginiaJul 15, 2020
Five land-based casino licensees15 skins
Commercial. Each casino can run up to three skins. Smallest by population of the legalized states.
DelawareNov 8, 2013
Delaware Lottery (Rush Street)1 skin
State-lottery monopoly. Rush Street Interactive runs the entire platform under contract to the Delaware Lottery. No competitive market.
Rhode IslandMar 5, 2024
IGT and Bally’s1 skin
State-lottery monopoly. IGT supplies the platform under the existing lottery contract. Bally’s Twin River and Tiverton are the retail anchors.
The closest comparable is Connecticut, where the Mashantucket Pequot run DraftKings as the Foxwoods skin and the Mohegan Tribe runs FanDuel as the Mohegan Sun skin alongside a Connecticut Lottery product. Connecticut still benefits from IGRA because no MICSA-style federal carve-out binds its tribes. Maine had to write iGaming exclusivity into state law because that federal door has been closed since 1980. The structural takeaway: Maine is the only jurisdiction in U.S. history where online slots and table games are reserved for tribes by an act of the state legislature rather than by an IGRA compact.
Legal Alternatives
What You Can Play in Maine
Until the tribal iGaming market opens, these are the legal options in Maine.
Online Sports Betting
Live since November 3, 2023 and limited to the four Wabanaki tribes. Caesars Sportsbook partnered with the Penobscot, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet nations, and DraftKings partnered with the Passamaquoddy Tribe. Bettors must be 21 and physically inside Maine.
Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino
Maine's two commercial casinos run slots, table games, and retail sports betting. Hollywood Casino in Bangor is owned by Penn Entertainment, and Oxford Casino is owned by Churchill Downs. Both are 21+.
Maine State Lottery
Draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, plus scratch tickets, are sold only at licensed retailers under Title 8, section 414. Online lottery sales are not legal in Maine. Minimum age is 18.
Charitable and Tribal Bingo
Licensed charitable games and the Passamaquoddy high-stakes bingo hall in Indian Township are legal. Tribal bingo is the only Wabanaki gaming facility currently operating in the state.
FAQ
Maine Gambling FAQ
Are online casinos legal in Maine?+
The authorizing law, LD 1164, became active on January 11, 2026, but no site has been licensed yet. The Maine Gambling Control Unit is still writing the rules, and the four Wabanaki tribes will hold the only iGaming licenses when the market opens.
When will Maine online casinos launch?+
Maine Gambling Control Unit executive director Milt Champion has pointed to early 2027 as the realistic launch window. Tribal partners estimate six to nine months of buildout after rules are finalized. A federal lawsuit from Churchill Downs and a possible people's veto could push this further.
Can I bet on sports online in Maine?+
Yes. Mobile sports betting has been live since November 3, 2023. Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings are the two operators in market, both partnered with Wabanaki tribes. You must be 21 and physically inside Maine to place a bet.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Maine?+
No. Governor Mills signed LD 2007 on April 6, 2026, banning dual-currency sweepstakes platforms. Operators face civil fines of $10,000 to $100,000 per violation.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Maine?+
21 for commercial casinos and sports betting. 18 for the state lottery and charitable bingo.
