Gambling Laws in Maine

Maine's gambling laws first began with an outright ban in the early 1800s. Today, the state has a varied legal gambling industry, including casinos, racetracks, and offline/online sports betting.

Which Gambling Activities Are Legal in Maine?

The Maine Revised Statutes, Title 8: Amusements and Sports, contains most information regarding the legality of gambling in the state. Despite being fairly conservative, Maine offers a variety of gambling activities on a legal basis, although online gambling is largely unregulated. 

Offline and Online Casino Games

Casino gambling is legal but the situation differs slightly from other states. The US has two commercial casinos there, the Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway, in Bangor and the Oxford Casino in Oxford. Although there are four officially recognised tribes in Maine, they are not allowed to operate casinos in the state. This is due to the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which does not apply, thanks to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.

Gambling on slots and other games online is currently unregulated, with the law focused instead on preventing operators from setting up new casinos in the state.

Real Money Poker

Poker gambling is legal in Maine, but the state only has one poker room, which is located in the Hollywood Casino. Home-based games are also legal as long as no commercial profiting is involved.

Online poker isn't regulated but the law is designed to prevent sites from accepting players from the state.

Bingo Gambling

Bingo gambling is allowed and generally comes from games operated by charitable organisations. There are no commercial bingo clubs or halls in the state. However, some bingo games are known to take place on tribal reservations. Though there is some debate over the legal status of this.

Playing at bingo casinos online is forbidden and sites are not legally able to offer their services to Mainers, but many still do.

Lotto Games

Lottery gambling is legal with the Maine Lottery offering tickets for popular draw-based games such as Lotto America, Mega Millions and Powerball.

It's illegal for residents to play online lottery games for real money and the state's website serves as a results-checking source only.

Social Gambling and Crypto Casinos

Social games played within private residences are permitted by law as long as there is no profiting involved beyond player winnings. Modern forms of gambling such as lootboxes and skins gambling have not yet been addressed by Maine's gambling laws.

Maine allows the use of virtual coins such as Bitcoin, making the state quite favourable to cryptocurrency businesses. However, there is talk of a draft bill that would tighten up the current definition of money which will exclude cryptos. Currently, none of Maine's gambling venues accept virtual tokens as a form of payment. This leaves residents heading to offshore and out-of-state online crypto casinos instead.

Maine Sports Betting Laws

Sports betting was legalised in early 2022. The new laws permit the existing two casinos to offer markets to their customers, while online sports betting is set to be offered by the state's four tribes.

Parimutuel betting on horse racing is legally permitted at Bangor Raceway, Scarborough Downs and four off-track betting venues in the state.

Daily fantasy sports contests are legal in Maine after the state agreed they were games of skill in 2017. As a result, residents can bet on contests via several top providers, including FanDuel and DraftKings.

Maine Gambling Age Restrictions

This is generally 18+ for bingo, lottery and parimutuel betting, but only those aged 21 or over can legally participate in casino games.

What are the Maine Tax Regulations on Gambling Winnings?

These require all licensed gambling operators to withhold state and federal taxes concerning winnings. That means Mainers are charged 7.15% state tax and 24% federal tax pending completion of the relevant tax forms.

History of Gambling Laws in Maine

The first record of gambling legislation in Maine dates back to 1820 when all forms of gambling were banned in the state.

• Parimutuel betting was legalised in 1935.

• Lottery gambling was legalised in 1973, with the Maine Lottery launched shortly afterwards.

• Bingo gambling was legally permitted in 1975.

• Casino and poker games weren't legalised until 2003, with slot machines permitted at racetracks from 2004.

• The first casino in Maine was opened in 2012.

• Daily fantasy sports contests were permitted in 2017. 

• Online and offline sports betting was legalised in May 2022.

Key Facts

• Casino gambling is legal in Maine, with two casinos operating in the state.

• Online casino gambling is unregulated.

• Poker gambling is legal, but only one room is in operation.

• Online poker gambling is unregulated.

• Bingo gambling is legal but only as games run by charitable organisations.

• Online bingo gambling is unregulated.

• Lottery gambling is legal and available via the Maine Lottery, but online ticket sales are prohibited.

• Sports betting was legalised in early 2022, and offline and online markets were set up.

• Daily fantasy sports contests are legal in Maine.