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State officials Wednesday released draft rules explaining how Maine will implement new sports betting laws.
The law, signed into law by Governor Janet Mills last spring, legalizes sports betting and gives Maine’s four tribes exclusive rights to gamble online. However, it could be months before these bets become legal.
Sports betting could begin as early as April, according to Milt Champion, director of gambling controls in Maine. But it could take until January next year to respond to public comments, finalize the rules and issue licenses to both in-person and online betting providers.
“I know everyone wants either the Super Bowl or March Madness,” he told reporters Wednesday at the Public Safety Bureau in Augusta. “But let’s face it, it’s not going to happen.”
Champion said it took Maine a year to implement the fantasy contest.
Still, he hopes sports betting will be up and running in time for Maine’s summer tourist season.
“If they want to sit by the campground with their iPhones and bet on a Red Sox game, that would be great,” he said. “Because if they’re in Maine and they do business in Maine, Maine gets the revenue.”
Under the new law, Maine will receive approximately 10% of revenues from sports betting. Maine could bring in $3.8 million to $6.9 million in annual revenue through sports betting, according to projections from the Champions Office and Betting Sportsbook.
Tribes receive at least 50% from online bets. They choose providers such as FanDuel and DraftKings to run mobile sports betting apps on their behalf. Under the proposed rule, these entities would receive 30% of the proceeds from sports betting, but could request up to 40%.
Champion said each tribe can choose its own online betting provider, or all or a few tribes can agree to choose an operator and decide how to divide the funds. It’s unclear which gambling operators the tribe is talking to, and Champion said states won’t know until they apply for a license.
A public hearing on the proposed sports betting rules is scheduled for January 31st. The hearing, as well as the subsequent written public comment period, are likely to elicit a wide range of responses from the sports betting industry and other lobbyists.
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