In addition, the nine combined racetracks and off-track betting facilities but Churchill Downs’ Oxford Casino may apply for a licence to operate retail sports betting, which carries a US$4,000 fee to be paid every four years.
The legislation noted that the state’s tribes – all of which are part of the Wabanaki nation – had “previously been excluded” from most forms of gaming in the state, and said allowing them to operate online betting would go towards correcting that.
The bill also says that if mobile gaming is ever made legal in the state, the four tribes must be provided the same access to the market as commercial operators.
“This law provides meaningful economic opportunities for the Wabanaki Nations. It incentivises investment in tribal communities, and it formalises a collaboration process on policy that sets the foundation for a stronger relationship in the future,” Mills said.
“I am proud of the work that the Wabanaki Nations and the state put into drafting this legislation, and I am grateful for the honest effort, the extensive research and the hundreds of hours of negotiations and discussions which bore fruit in this bill,” Mills added.
Mills signing the bill follows years of efforts to introduce legal sports betting to Maine. In January 2020, the state legislature passed a sports betting bill but it was vetoed by Mills, while an effort last year was approved by the House but stalled after being assigned to the Special Appropriations Table.
Source: iGB
