Content on this page may include affiliate links. If you click and sign up/place a wager, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Maine set to debate bill that bans online sweepstakes casinos
A week after the Maine legislature reconvenes on Jan. 7, lawmakers will consider a bill that would ban dual-currency online sweepstakes casinos.
Lawmakers in Maine will be wasting little time getting back to work when the legislative session begins Jan. 7, as a hearing is scheduled seven days later for a bill that would outlaw dual-currency online sweepstakes casinos in the state. The Joint Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will meet Jan. 14 for legislation that was proposed in late 2025 – all while a bill still sits on the desk of Gov. Janet Mills to legalize real money online casinos in Maine.
Hearing scheduled for bill to ban sweepstakes casinos
Maine joined an ever-growing list of states that looked to shut down unregulated and unlicensed online sweepstakes casinos in 2025, sites that use dual-currency systems and redeem that virtual currency for cash prizes.
The likes of California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Montana successfully passed legislation to ban those sites last year. Now Maine looks to kick off 2026 with a similar result.
The bill, LD2007, would set fines of between $10,000 and $100,000 for violators of the statute, with money collected by the state going toward the Maine Gambling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Fund.
There's plenty of support for the proposal, with the Maine Gambling Control Unit (MGCU) going as far as encouraging state residents to "avoid these websites" that offer "illegal interactive gaming."
The MGCU made it clear that casino games online are in violation of state law – for now, at least.
Bill to legalize Maine online casinos sits on governor's desk
While legislators debate, and potentially agree to push forward, a bill to ban online sweepstakes casino, another proposal currently sits on Mills' desk – one that would actually legalize state-run casino apps.
Maine came the closest to authorizing online casinos in 2025, with a bill passing through the legislature and only needing Mills' signature to become law.
The proposal, though, faced pushback from land-based casinos in the state as well as from Mills herself. No doubt this prompted the governor to leave the bill on her desk when the legislative session broke in July.
It still remains there, and Mills will have three days to sign the bill, veto it or let the proposal become law through inaction. Considering her stance against gambling expansion in the state, and with gaming regulators urging her to veto the bill, it's likely Mill chooses to do just that.
