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Maine bill would ban credit card usage for certain online gaming deposits
A bill approved by a Maine legislative committee would bar sports bettors from using credit cards to make deposits but leaves the door opent for iGaming.
A bill advancing in the Maine Senate would restrict the state's licensed online sportsbooks from accepting deposits from people using credit cards but would not affect that same situation in terms of Maine's presumptive online casino market. The engrossed law legalizing iGaming makes no mention of credit cards, although the Maine Gambling Control Unit may be able to take action to create a uniform landscape in forthcoming regulations if the credit card ban for sports wagering takes effect.
LD 2080 bans credit card deposits but only for sports wagering
LD 2080, which was reported out favorably by the Maine Senate Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs on Feb. 18, removes credit cards from the list of acceptable deposit methods for legal online sportsbooks in the state. The text of the bill is very clear, though, that the provision applies to sports wagering platforms and not Maine online casinos.
Meanwhile, Maine's recently enacted statute creating a regulated system for playing online craps real money games and other casino experiences makes no mention of restrictions on credit card acceptance. Thus, the proposed statute banning such deposits would create an incongruence for licensees.
Licensees could opt to forego credit card transactions in order to offer players a unified wallet experience in their apps. However, it's unclear whether the state's existing online sportsbooks will also offer their iGaming products in Maine.
At this time, only Rush Street Gaming has publicly expressed interest in launching an online casino in Maine. Under the current law, companies like Rush Street could partner with tribal authorities within Maine's borders to launch their online casinos there.
The launch of legal iGaming in Maine is pending the finalization of regulations for the gaming type by the Maine Gambling Control Unit. Litigation could also throw a wrench in the quest to launch the top online casinos in the state.
Maine online casino launch timetable still uncertain
The Maine Gambling Control Unit has not published any expectations for when it will complete its statutory duty to issue rules for parties interested in offering online casino games, including whether they can operate as credit card casinos in Maine. It's possible that the agency may bar such transactions in the regulations.
However, the Maine Gambling Control Unit may be waiting to get a read on the results of a lawsuit challenging the state's online casino law before publishing rules. Churchill Downs, which operates the Oxford Casino Hotel in the town by the same name, has sued the state in a move to try to block the law's implementation.
Should that action prove successful, delays to the launch of legal iGaming apps and websites in Maine may be indefinite. Maine residents' utilization of welcome promos like the bet365 Casino bonus code would also face an uncertain future.
If the litigation fails and LD 2080 becomes law as currently composed, there could be a lack of uniformity in governance for different types of online gaming in Maine that licensees and regulators may have to work out. The progress of LD 2080 is another signal that credit card usage for online gaming is falling out of favor with lawmakers in the United States.
