Maine inched closer to legalizing online casino video gaming, however a significant barrier stays.

- LD 1164 calls for an 18% tax on online gambling establishment gaming operators.

• Gov. Janet Mills might veto the bill, most likely ending Maine's chances of legalizing iGaming this year.
• The proposal took a winding political road to reach the unique appropriations table.
  
  The state's Senate, accepting the House, put approved LD 1164, an iGaming expense, on the "unique appropriations table" Wednesday. The proposal is among 100 costs headed to Gov. Janet Mills' desk, the Maine Morning Star reported. Mills has 10 days to sign and enact the iGaming step.
  
  However, Mills might ban the costs, and the legislature, which currently adjourned, would likely not bypass it this year. While she hasn't spoken publicly about the legislation, Mills hasn't preferred other gaming efforts. She shot down two sports wagering efforts before reaching a compromise to permit legal sportsbooks to operate in 2022.
  
  There is currently noted opposition to the proposal. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Gambling Control panel Chair testified versus the expense, using concerns about issue gambling and financial impacts to in-person casinos. In a state where DraftKings and Caesars operate online sports betting through tribal collaborations, FanDuel, Fanatics, and BetMGM likewise argued versus the law.
  
  Creating 'economic chance'
  
  LD 1164 is "an act to produce economic chance for the Wabanaki Nations through internet gaming." Four licenses would go to the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Penobscot Nation, Mi'kmaq Nation, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. The tribes would then partner with iGaming operators.
  
  DraftKings and Caesars both operate online casinos in other U.S. jurisdictions, making them likely prospects to benefit immediately from legal iGaming in Maine.
  
  Online gambling establishment business would pay the state an 18% tax rate on their adjusted video gaming profits. That would generate an $1.8 million in Year 1 and $3.6 million in fiscal year 2026-2027, according to a fiscal note contributed to the costs.
  
  Maine's online sports wagering operators created over $93.7 million in income from more than $835 million in bets given that 2023. The Evergreen State filled its coffers with over $9 million from the 10% tax rate on sportsbooks.
  
  Windy roadway
  
  Getting LD 1164 to Mills' desk wasn't simple. Your home committee eliminated the costs in April, but it was reanimated during June's special session, when it was changed to increase the tax rate from 16% to 18%.
  
  After passing your home, the Senate pressed it through without a bulk vote, leaving the House to enact it. Sen. Peggy Rotundo motioned to put the measure on the special appropriations table, stalling it while lawmakers were still writing the state spending plan.
  
  Rotundo avoided voting on passing the proposal, leaving it to fail by one vote, before keeping it alive by voting versus a motion to reject the costs. After Rotundo removed it from the unique appropriations table, the Senate finally passed it and moved it along.