Maine is set to become the **eighth U.S. state with legal online casinos** after Governor **Janet Mills** announced she will allow a tribal-exclusive iGaming bill to become law, reversing her administration’s earlier opposition and establishing a new revenue stream for the state and its tribal governments.

Mills confirmed last week that she would allow **LD 1164**, a bill granting Maine’s four federally recognized **Wabanaki tribes exclusive rights to operate online casinos**, to take effect without her signature. The law will become active **three months after the Legislature adjourns on April 15**.

“I considered this bill carefully, and while I have concerns about the impacts of gambling on public health, I believe that this new form of gambling should be regulated,” Mills said. “I am confident that Maine’s Gambling Control Unit will develop responsible rules and standards to hold providers of this new form of gambling accountable while ensuring that Maine’s tribes benefit from its operations.”

The decision mirrors Mills’s approach to sports betting, which she also initially opposed before signing into law in **2022**.

Legislative Path and Implementation Timeline

The bill was among **52 of 61 measures** left unsigned after the Legislature adjourned this summer. Under Maine law, when legislation reaches the governor within 10 days of adjournment, the governor may not sign it but can allow it to become law after **three days of the next legislative session**, which began Wednesday. LD 1164 establishes a **tribal-exclusive iGaming market**, making Maine the only state besides Connecticut with both tribal control and exclusivity over online casino operations.

Under the new framework, Maine’s four tribes will operate online casinos, mirroring their current exclusivity over **online sports betting**. Three tribes partner with **Caesars**, while the **Passamaquoddy Tribe** works with **DraftKings**. The state will impose an **18% tax on online casino revenue**, significantly higher than Maine’s **10% sports betting tax rate**. State fiscal estimates project that iGaming could generate **up to $100 million in tax revenue over the first decade**.

The expansion faced strong opposition from the **Maine Gambling Control Board (MGCB)**, which urged Mills to veto the bill. The board argued that excluding Maine’s two commercial casinos from online gaming would harm employment and long-term tax revenue. “Granting the tribes a monopoly and cutting out the casinos, when we’ve seen from other states that legalizing iGaming cuts into casino revenue, that is going to have adverse tax consequences,” MGCB Chair **Steven Silver** wrote. “It could cause several hundred Mainers to lose their jobs.”

Opposition has also emerged from the **National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG)**, which has threatened to pursue a **people’s veto** — a process allowing voters to repeal legislation through a statewide referendum. The group would have **90 days after the law takes effect** to collect signatures for the **2026 ballot**.

Maine becomes the eighth U.S. state with legal online casinos, granting exclusive iGaming rights to its four Wabanaki tribes under an 18% tax framework.

National Context and Industry Outlook

Maine’s decision comes as momentum for online casino legalization remains slow nationwide. Although lawmakers in multiple states introduced iGaming proposals in 2025, most stalled amid political resistance and concern over gambling’s social impacts. Industry observers believe that could change as fiscal pressure grows. “It’s hard to handicap where it could cross the finish line,” said **John Pappas**, an industry consultant. “The fiscal arguments are more apparent and maybe even more important given the state budget struggles that are expected to emerge over the next year.”

Lawmakers in **Virginia** have introduced an online casino bill, while legislators in **Indiana** have begun formal discussions during hearings on broader gambling legislation. Analysts expect online casino expansion efforts to intensify heading into **2026**, as states search for new revenue sources. With Maine’s framework now set, the state becomes a test case for a tribal-exclusive online casino model at a moment when the national gambling policy debate is shifting from expansion toward fiscal necessity.