LD 1164 became law without the governor's signature on January 9, 2026, legalizing online casino gaming exclusively for Maine's four federally recognized Wabanaki Nations in partnership with commercial operators. This is durable primary legislation establishing an entirely new regulated activity class, but the Gambling Control Unit has not yet commenced rulemaking to implement it. Executive Director Milton Champion has stated that rulemaking staff would be assembled once LD 1164 took effect, with go-live for the new online-casino category projected for late 2026 or early 2027. The licence category is therefore enacted but not yet operational: no application process, technical standard, or commercial-partnership term has been published. Existing licence categories for online and retail sports wagering are unaffected and continue operating under the state's pre-existing capped-licence framework.
Jurisdictions › Maine › Licensing and regulation
Maine · Question 02 of 11
Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence?
Mixed · Probable · AI-generated · Back to full Maine report →
Key section parameters
| Jurisdiction | Maine (US-ME) |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Recorded in register |
| Favourability | Mixed |
| Confidence | Probable |
| Review status | AI-generated |
| Last collected | 11 Oct 2026 |
Summary answer
LD 1164 became law without the governor's signature on January 9, 2026, legalizing online casino gaming exclusively for Maine's four federally recognized Wabanaki Nations in partnership with commercial operators. This is durable primary legislation establishing an entirely new regulated activity cla…