Maine Legalizes Online Casinos for Native American Tribes
Maine’s four Native American tribes have secured the exclusive rights to operate online casino games following Governor Janet Mills’ decision to allow legislation to become law.
The law took effect on Jan. 8, positioning Maine as the eighth state with legal online casinos and the first new market since Rhode Island’s 2023 approval.
Mills said she reached her decision following talks in the fall with five elected chiefs from the Wabanaki Nations and a period of careful review.
The governor had postponed the decision in July, leaving the matter unresolved for months.
Governor Mills was optimistic about the impact of this bill in her statement:
I am confident that Maine’s Gambling Control Unit will develop responsible rules and standards to hold providers of this new form of gambling accountable while ensuring that Maine’s tribes benefit from its operations.
The legislation advanced despite Mills’ reservations about gambling’s health effects.
Tribal leaders have framed the legislation as a step toward greater economic sovereignty, arguing it would generate “life-changing revenue” for communities.
In a separate public notice, Maine’s Gambling Control Unit cautioned that sweepstakes casinos and social casino sites are not licensed in the state and warned consumers that using them involves significant risk.
Online casinos in Maine will be limited to tribal operators under the new legislation.
One Operator Per Tribe Under Maine Bill
Under LD 1164, Maine’s four federally recognized tribes can each select one third-party operator partner to run online casino gaming.
The bill names the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Penobscot Nation as the authorized groups.
An 18% tax rate applies to online casino revenue. Legislative fiscal estimates anticipate roughly $1.8m in tax receipts in fiscal 2025-26, increasing to about $3.6m the year after.
Truist analyst Barry Jonas has suggested the state’s estimates understate the potential size of the market.
He noted that online casinos are typically three to four times larger than online sports betting, which produced $59m in Maine operator revenue in 2025 through November, and projected iCasino revenue could reach $120m by 2030.
The limited number of operators and Maine’s population of around 1.4m are factors in the state’s comparatively modest tax forecasts.
LD 1164 takes effect 90 days after the legislative session ends in April, and no additional timeline has been provided for when online casinos will launch.
Tribal Leaders Praise The Move
The Wabanaki Nations entered online casino legalization with existing third-party relationships from online sports betting, which Maine authorized in 2022 and launched in November 2023.
Three of them currently run online sports betting with Caesars Sportsbook, while the other works with DraftKings.
Those alignments are widely expected to carry over into online casinos, though there is no confirmation yet on whether additional operators will be involved.
After the governor moved the bill forward, several chiefs issued statements supporting the expansion and pointing to planned uses of new gambling revenue.
Chief William Nicholas Sr. of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township described the decision as a milestone for the Wabanaki Nations.
Governor Mills’ support marks [a key] economic turning point for the Passamaquoddy people and for all Wabanaki Nations.
Chief Clarissa Sabattis of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians pointed to potential impacts across northern Maine.
She said the change would create opportunities to improve:
socioeconomic factors that impact not only our tribal citizens but citizens throughout Aroostook County and Maine.
