Online Gambling in Maine: Quick Facts
- Legal Maine online gambling options? N/A
- Legal gambling age: 21
- Who regulates Maine online gambling? N/A
- Legal mobile gambling? No
- Do I need to be physically located in Maine to gamble online? N/A
- Do I need to be a resident of Maine to gamble online? N/A
- Sports available to bet on: N/A
A Brief History of Online Gambling in Maine
Maine is a state that has not always had specific rules in place when it came to online gambling. That has allowed lawmakers to challenge the current laws. Without a rule to prohibit online gambling, it simply became a matter of creating a law to legalize it.
Governor Janet Mills has not yet jumped on board. It remains to be seen what her intentions are with this most recent bill. If she does approve online sports betting, then that could open the door for other forms of online gambling.
Maine Online Gambling: The Current Law
Residents in the state of Maine are in favor of online gambling. That gave lawmakers enough support to push a bill through. The two casinos in Maine are also in favor of offering bets on sporting events, both in-person and online.
A full online gambling bill is not yet there in Maine. It is unclear if or when this will take place. This is something that residents want, but this could threaten the revenue stream that currently comes with retail gaming.
Legal Online Sportsbooks in Maine
The path to legal sports betting in Maine has been an interesting one. But it is one that should see an end in the near future. A bill has been sent to the desk of Governor Janet Mills. Her signature would legalize sports betting in Maine.
Mills has vetoed similar bills in the past. However, there seems to be enough support in the legislature that an override of that veto could take place as well. If the bill does become a law, then both retail and online sports betting will be available.
The one catch is that online betting sites must be tethered to a casino, so a partnership must be formed. This means that there will only be two online sportsbooks available to bettors in Maine.
At this time, it is unclear what operators will be able to form these partnerships and become the legal online sportsbooks in Maine.
Sports Betting in Maine
It appears that online sports betting is coming to Maine. That is a big win for those residents in the state that want to bet on sports. Sports betting in Maine is never going to become an industry leader, but there will be enough interest to make it worthwhile.
When the industry finally launches, here are some of the top betting options that you will find:
Moneyline
A money line wager is great for those people just getting into the industry because it is the easiest bet to make and the easiest to understand. With this type of wager, you are simply picking which team will win a specific game.
Points Spread
When you are betting against the spread, you are making a wager on how close (or how spread out) the final score will be. This adds a degree of difficulty to a money line bet, but it is one of the most popular bets to make.
Totals (Over/Under)
An over/under bet is a top betting option when it comes to betting on the NFL or the NBA. You can find totals bets for other sporting events as well, but you see it more with football and basketball. With an over/under bet, you are simply betting on the total number of points, goals, or runs that are scored.
Prop Bets
Prop betting became big during the Super Bowl each year, but it has now spilled over into other sports and other events. This is a fun way to get in on the action, and you will likely find plenty of prop betting options available.
Future Bets
A future bet is made on an event that will occur at some point in the future. Sportsbooks set odds well in advance of a result with a future bet, and those odds are constantly being changed or updated.
Parlay Bets
A parlay bet has become extremely popular in the US sports betting industry as bettors are always looking to win big. This can definitely be the case with this type of bet, as you are combining smaller wagers into one big bet. With each "leg" that you add to your parlay, the payouts will increase in a big way.
Legal Online Casinos in Maine
Maine is not a state with a very big casino industry as there are just two casino options available. All of the casino-style gambling must be done in person, and it will likely remain that way, at least for the next few years.
With two casinos already established, that would help the state if it attempted to approve online casino gambling. Those casinos would need to form a partnership with an online operator, but that shouldn't be much of a challenge.
The Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway in Bangor and the Oxford Casino in Oxford are the two licensed casinos currently in Maine. If online casino gambling were ever offered, it would be these two properties that would lead the way.
Legal Online Poker in Maine
There are not going to be any online poker options in Maine any time soon, and that is similar to what will take place in the online casino industry. This just hasn't been the focus for lawmakers at this time, but it could be on the radar eventually.
Poker is legal to play in the state of Maine as long as you are at one of the casinos that hold a gaming license. This could be a key moving forward as lawmakers won't have to spend time drafting a bill to first legalize the game of poker.
How to Set Up a Maine Online Gambling Account
If online sportsbooks are able to launch in Maine, then one of the first things you will have to do is set up an account. This might seem like a hassle, but it can actually be done in a matter of minutes.
Sports betting sites will ask for some personal information, including your name, date of birth, email address, and social security number. You don't ever just want to give your social security number out, but these sites are safe, and your information won't be shared.
After the site has been able to verify your identity, you will then be asked to create a username and password. This step is extremely important as you will use this information to log in to the site each time.
You will want to choose the information that is unique to you but also something that you will remember. Finally, after you have made your selections, then you can log in for the first time.
From there, you will need to visit the banking section of the site and make your first deposit. You will find plenty of banking options to choose from, and the next section of this article will highlight some of the ones that you will see.
Maine Banking Methods
Depending on what sites launch and offer sports betting, that will determine what banking options are available. Regardless of what operator it is, you will find a long list of deposit and withdrawal options for you to pick from.
These online sites used to only accept an eCheck of a credit card payment, but there are more popular options available now. PayPal is one of the best payment options to use, and it can also be used as a form of withdrawal.
When you go to use PayPal or a similar app, you can simply link your accounts so that money can be sent back and forth quickly. This will get money in your sports betting account, and you can also get your winnings in a timely fashion.
It is important to note that all of the banking processes are safe and secure with online gambling sites, and you will be backed up by the state. You still might encounter some problems, but these will get resolved quickly.
The Future of Online Gambling in Maine
Online sports betting could be coming to Maine very soon, and that could possibly lead to other forms of online gambling. Other states in the US have taken this path, and it could be a plan that lawmakers in Maine look to follow.
There is still plenty of work to be done before the state has a full complement of online gambling options, but things are headed in the right direction. The success of online sports betting will likely determine if other forms of Maine online gambling are coming.
