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Maine began the formal process of opening up sports betting by announcing proposed rules on Wednesday, though officials say it will be months before the first bets are made. .
The law, adopted by state legislators, went into effect in August, but the director of the Maine Gambling Administration said it was important to move slowly to get the rules right.
In the timeline provided by Milt Champion, licenses could be issued between April and January. He said he could not be more specific until the public considered it over the next few weeks.
A hearing is scheduled for January 31.
“I know this is a hot topic. I know everyone wants it during the Super Bowl or March Madness. But let’s face it. It’s not happening.” I will,” he told reporters immediately.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills gives Maine’s Native American tribes control over the mobile and online sports betting market, offering an olive branch after her veto threats overturn proposals to expand sovereignty Did.
Mobile and online betting is expected to account for 85% of Maine’s sports betting market and is a source of income for the tribe. Each tribe can choose its own vendor. So there could be up to four licenses for the Penobscot Nation, the Indian Township and her Passamaquoddy tribe of Pleasant Point, the Houlton Band of Maliseets and Mi’kmaq.
Maine’s existing casinos in Bangor and Oxford can also request a license, along with off-track gambling parlors.
Thirty-six states have already legalized sports betting since a 2018 US Supreme Court ruling opened the doors to sports betting.
In New England, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island have allowed sports betting, while Massachusetts is waiting to start after legalization, said Dan Wallach of the Sports Betting and Integrity Program at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. .
In Maine, sports betting is expected to generate $3.8 million to $6.9 million in revenue in 2022, in addition to $64 million from casinos and other legal gambling.
Champion said Wednesday Maine did not replicate the wheel with the proposed rule. Maine researched regulations already in place in other states and modeled the state’s regulations after those.
He said he would like to see the bets take place this summer when tourists are visiting the state, but said there are no guarantees.
That will depend on factors such as how the public comment period unfolds and the length of the review by the attorney general, he said.
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