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- Gambling in Maine. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. State of Maine include parimutuel wagering on horse races, the Maine Lottery, two casinos, and charitable gaming. Horse racing. Parimutuel wagering on harness racing is permitted at the state's.
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Last Updated November 17, 2018
Playing poker in the state of Maine, aside from the occasional game among friends, has long presented a bit of a challenge. That challenge was lessened dramatically by the dawn of online poker, which brought the game into the home of millions of players who otherwise might have never taken the opportunity to play for stakes.
Playing online poker in Maine is as easy as creating an account, making a deposit and choosing a table. The whole thing takes less than five minutes at the major sites, and you can usually deposit right there with a credit card. There are literally dozens of sites welcome Maine poker players – including all of the rooms on our real-money poker page.
While online poker is more or less the same as a game among friends, there are still some important things players should know about the law, regulation and related issues in this guide to Playing Online Poker in Maine.
| Type/Code | Summary |
|---|---|
| State Code Section(s) | 4.141-278; 4.501-739; 14.90; 27 |
| Definition of Gambling & Player | Gambling: The intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting, as a business, of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit. Gambling has long been recognized as a crime in the state of Louisiana and despite the enactment of many legalized gaming activities remains a crime. Gambling by computer: The intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting as a business of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit when accessing the Internet, World Wide Web, or any part thereof by way of any computer, computer system, computer network, computer software, or any server. Gambling which occurs via the Internet embodies the very activity that the legislature seeks to prevent. |
| Online Poker/Gambling | A bill was introduced in the Louisiana legislature in 2018 to address the legalization of online poker and casino games. It would have allowed each parish in the state to vote on legalizing online gaming. The bill did not pass but will likely be discussed again in 2019. |
| Live Poker | There are poker rooms offering cash games and tournaments in most of the major riverboat and Native American casinos, as well as some of the racinos (race tracks with casino games). |
| Casinos | There are Indian-run casinos per the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, riverboat-type casinos, and horse tracks converted into racinos. There are more than two dozen open in 2018. |
| Sports Betting | There is a bill under consideration in 2018 to legalize sports betting per the US Supreme Court decision to overturn PASPA. |
| DFS | A bill to legalize daily fantasy sports was bundled with other type of online gaming in 2018 and did not pass. |
| Other Forms of Gambling | Horse and dog racing, pari-mutuel betting, charitable gambling, lottery, bingo and keno, social gambling, slot machines at racetracks. |
Online Poker in Maine
You’re looking for an online poker site. What do you want? You want fair games, your money to be secure, depositing to be easy and bonuses to be high-value. However, it’s not always easy to tell at first glance which online poker sites offer these qualities. That’s where our list of the best Maine online poker sites comes into play. It takes all that and more into account when determining which poker rooms are the best for players from Maine.
Is Online Poker Legal in Maine?
The legality of online poker is an open question in nearly every US state, and Maine is no exception. State law is notoriously slow to keep pace with modern development, and the same can be said for the gambling laws of Maine, which do not directly address the issue of playing at an online poker room. To aid poker players in their legal research, here are a few key parts of Maine statutes concerning gambling and poker:
The definition of gambling found in Maine law is a standard one. Gambling is when you risk “something of value” on a “contest of chance” or an event that isn’t under your “control or influence” (Section 952(4)).
Unlike some other states, Maine law specifically spells out what a “contest of chance” is. There must be something staked or risked, the rules of the contest involve an element “determined by chance” and chance must play a role in the outcome of the game that can’t be “eliminated through the application of skill” (Section 952(3)).
In case you were wondering, the shuffle of the deck in a game of poker qualifies as such an element per Maine law. Section 952(C) offers a list of events that qualify, which “includes but is not limited to a shuffle of a deck or decks of cards, a roll of a die or dice or a random drawing or generation of an object or objects that may include, but are not limited to, a card or cards, a die or dice, a number or numbers or simulations of any of these.” In fact, the shuffle of a virtual deck of cards is clearly covered by the definition as well.
There are no obvious penalties for players under Maine law. You can run into trouble if you engage in some forms of underage gambling, but mere participation in an illegal gambling activity doesn’t seem to risk criminal exposure.
The core anti-gambling charge in Maine law is “unlawful gambling” (Section 954 (1-A)), which is aimed at one who “advances or profits” from unlawful gambling. It should be noted that the definition of advancing gambling activity found in Maine law (Section 952(1)) is very broad and could potentially include just about anyone involved with the activity in any role (promotional, support, financing) besides that of player.
The complete Maine statutes are available below. While we’ve picked out what we consider to be the most important parts for online poker players, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with state gambling law in general – and remember to contact a lawyer for anything other than a casual inquiry into the law.
Will Maine Regulate Online Poker?
Maine falls squarely into the category of states who are likely to come along for the ride if online gambling regulation gains national momentum. Maine hasn’t been immune from the budget crunch facing other US states, and there appears to be little built-in opposition to online gambling expansion. If online gambling catches on nationally, then expect Maine to ride that trend; if progress stalls at the national level, so will the state’s chances of regulating online poker.
Maine Gambling Facts
Gambling played a part in the early days of Maine, along with just about every New England state. Lottery and raffle-style games were the forerunners of the modern gambling industry of Maine, which developed in fits and starts over the course of several decades. While Maine approved a state lottery fairly early in the game back in 1973, it wasn’t until over 30 years later that the next major expansion of gambling would take place in the state. That came in 2004 when voters turned out in favor of a proposal to allow slots at racetracks in the state.
Regulated Gambling Options in Maine
The one thing you couldn’t find in Maine until recently: Casinos. Neither commercial casinos nor tribal gambling options made the list of regulated gambling choices in Maine back in 2011, which does include a state lottery, a variety of charitable-type gambling and pari-mutuel wagering. A 2012 addition to the state’s landscape – the Oxford Casino – brought Maine into the ranks of states offering commercial casinos.
Does Maine Offer any Regulated Online Gambling?
A survey of the state at the time of this article revealed that no online gambling options are directly regulated by the State of Maine. As noted in our above analysis, Maine could easily switch course and regulate a variety of online gambling activity in a relatively small time frame, but in the status quo poker players from Maine must rely on sites licensed by international jurisdictions.
All Poker and Gambling Laws by State
State Senator Roger Katz is sponsoring a bill to regulate daily fantasy sports in Maine. If passed, the bill would make Maine the 9th U.S. state to pass DFS regulations. Sen. Katz is required to submit a detailed proposal, but not a full itemized bill. Therefore, it is known that
Read FullNet Entertainment has speeded up its entry into the North American online gambling market by entering into a cross-license agreement with International Game Technology, the largest manufacturer of US slot machines. IGT has a much wider network of associations besides its land-based gaming machine business, though. As of 2014, IGT
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Maine Gambling Resources
Gambling Control Board . The definitive resource for issues of gambling law and regulation in the state of Maine. In addition to other features, Maine offers live streaming of GCB meetings when the board is in session.
UNLV Gaming Research: Maine . Comprehensive but concise overview of the regulated gambling industry in Maine. Includes timeline, basic financials and a quick survey of gambling revenue sharing arrangements.
Maine State Lottery . Official home for the Maine State Lottery. Learn more about the history and finances of the oldest regulated gambling activity in Maine.
Sources & Citations For This Article on Maine Online Poker
Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of Maine include parimutuel wagering on horse races, the Maine Lottery, two casinos, and charitable gaming.
Horse racing[edit]
Parimutuel wagering on harness racing is permitted at the state's two racetracks, Scarborough Downs in Scarborough and Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway in Bangor. Brief harness racing meets of up to nine days each also occur at nine agricultural fairs throughout the state, from July to October, with wagering allowed.[1][2]
Wagering is also offered at four off-track betting parlors around the state.[3][4]
Casinos[edit]
Maine law allows two casinos: Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino in Oxford. The two casinos had a total annual net gaming revenue of $132 million as of 2016.[5]
Slot machines at horse tracks were approved in a statewide referendum in 2003, but were rejected by voters in the city of Scarborough, leading to Bangor having the only permitted casino.[6] The casino in Oxford was approved by a statewide referendum in 2010.[7] The racino law was amended the following year to allow table games at Bangor.[8]
Charitable gaming[edit]
Maine law permits many types of community organizations to conduct various games of chance for fundraising purposes, including bingo (with prizes up to $400),[9]raffles (with prize values up to $75,000),[10] and card games (generally with a maximum bet of $1 per hand).[11]
Indian gaming[edit]
State law permits Maine's four federally recognized tribes to conduct high-stakes bingo games with unlimited prize values.[12] The tribes do not have gaming rights that tribes in other states possess, because the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act subjects the tribes' lands to state law, and excludes the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act from applying in the state.[13]
Lottery[edit]
The Maine Lottery offers scratch-off and drawing games, including the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions games.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Gambling Control Board Forms
- ^Annual Report 2013 (Report). Maine State Harness Racing Commission. July 2014. p. 50. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
- ^Jenn Menendez (September 25, 2005). 'Through good times and bad, fairs racing on'. Portland Press Herald – via NewsBank.
- ^'Off-Track Betting'. Maine State Harness Racing Commission. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^Dave Sherwood (May 3, 2017). 'Off-track betting takes a piece, and a hit, from gambling in Maine'. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
- ^12th Annual Report(PDF) (Report). Maine Gambling Control Board. March 8, 2017. p. 9. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
- ^Justin Ellis (November 6, 2003). 'Track may seek out racino-friendly town'. Portland Press Herald – via NewsBank.
- ^'Maine casino opponents give up recount challenge'. Portland Press Herald. December 14, 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^Clarke Canfield (November 25, 2011). 'Maine casinos get ready for table games'. Associated Press – via NewsBank.
- ^'Maine Revised Statutes, Title 17, Chapter 13-A: Beano or bingo, Section 317: Rules and regulations'. Maine Legislature. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^'Maine Revised Statutes, Title 17, Chapter 62: Games of chance, Section 1837: Raffles'. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^'Maine Revised Statutes, Title 17, Chapter 62: Games of chance, Section 1835: Conduct games of chance'. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^'Maine Revised Statutes, Title 17, Chapter 13-A: Beano or bingo, Section 314-A: High-stakes beano'. Maine Legislature. Retrieved 2017-08-26.
- ^Stephen Brimley (2004). 'Native American sovereignty in Maine'. Maine Policy Review. 13 (2): 21. Retrieved 2017-08-26.