- Several Maine sports betting bills have recieved a hearing.
- May consolidate into a single bill.
- The action could start before the next Super Bowl.
AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine State House Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee’s entire schedule last Friday was to discuss several sports betting bills.
All About Sports Betting
The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee held a public hearing for all of the sports betting bills that have been introduced. Maine currently has four different bills that are being considered to legalize sports betting.
ME LD 1348 is a bill that would allow for multiple entities to control sports betting. There would be sportsbooks in a number of different locations, including in tribal casinos and online options being available. The tax rate for sports betting here would be around 25 percent.
ME LD 1515 is essential, the polar opposite of ME LD 1348. You will only be allowed to make your sports bets at retail harness tracks. There is no language that would allow for mobile sports betting nor is there language that allows for other entities to offer sports betting.
Much like the ME LD 1515, sports betting bill ME LD 1571 only allows for one entity to control sports betting in Maine. With this bill, only the native tribes will be allowed to offer sports betting.
Finally, there is ME LD 553 being considered as well. This isn’t a bill that would legalize sports betting, and the summary of the bill is very short. The bill is wanting to make sure there is proper oversight of sports betting in Maine.
Multiple Paths To Take
Although all of the bills are aiming to legalize sports betting, each bill wants to do it differently. This means that there are many ways that the committee could do to decide what is the next step to take.
The committee could also want other lawmakers to focus on one bill. This means that they only vote to pass one bill and that will be the basis for sports gambling in Maine. This would help lawmakers focus their efforts for sports betting rather than them being split on multiple bills.
Another strong possibility is amenVding a bill so it has the language of the other sports betting bills. Essentially, they would consolidate what they approve of in all of the bills into just one bill. Several amendments would have to pass, but that is an “everybody wins” kind of scenario.
This hearing could help set the pace of sports betting in Maine. Depending on what information is released from the meeting, we might have a much clearer picture of sports gambling will look like in the Pine Tree State in the coming weeks.