- Maine approved online gambling, joining seven other states with legal internet casinos and eight with poker offerings.
- Maine's tribes will control four operator partnerships under an 18% revenue tax structure, with Caesars and DraftKings positioned as likely partners.
- Without access to multi-state player pools, Maine's poker market faces challenges due to its small population and isolated player base.
MAINE – Governor Janet Mills allowed LD 1164 to become law without her signature on Friday, officially bringing online poker to Maine. The legislation took effect just after midnight on Saturday, January 10, making Maine the eighth state to legalize online casinos and the ninth to permit online poker.
The new law now grants exclusive rights to online gaming to Maine's four federally recognized tribes. The Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Mi'kmaq Nation, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians make up these organizations. Since each tribe is only permitted to work with one gaming company, the state will have four licenses available.
Maine now joins Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island as states with poker. However, rather than the competitive structure found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia, Maine's market will resemble that of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware with its limited operators.
Casino Operators For Poker In Maine
It is anticipated that DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment will obtain a minimum of two licenses. They already provide sports betting services to the tribes in Maine. Since Caesars is the owner of the WSOP, they might introduce their poker platform to the state.
The remaining licenses may be contested by other operators such as BetMGM, FanDuel, bet365, or BetRivers.
Maine will take an 18% cut from online gambling revenue, with projected tax collections reaching around $1.8 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Players will have access to traditional games including blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, and baccarat, and the Maine Gambling Control Unit may later authorize more games.
Liquidity is the main issue that poker players worry about. Maine is currently prohibited from joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement by law. States can pool their player pools under this agreement to host larger tournaments and more active cash games. Without it, just 1.4 million people in Maine play poker together, making it a poker island. Because of this, poker rooms may find it challenging to maintain a profit.
Online casinos are anticipated by industry professionals to open in the latter part of 2026. Depending on future legislation, playing poker online might take longer.