Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioThe Maine Gambling Control Board has formally asked Governor Janet Mills to veto legislation that would legalize online casino gambling.
The board voted unanimously to recommend that Mills veto the bill, LD 1164, citing concerns about regulatory authority, job losses, and addiction resulting from the proposed expansion of casino-style gaming onto mobile devices. In June 2025, the Maine House passed legislation to legalize iGaming, voting 85-59 to grant the state’s four federally recognized tribes exclusive rights to offer online casino games.
In the December 17 letter, sent before the new legislative session begins, the board argues that the measure would remove casino games from its oversight, placing regulatory authority with the Gambling Control Unit instead. The board also warned that passage of the bill could harm casino workers and operators who’d be excluded from online casino gaming while also increasing the likelihood of problem gambling among the population by making casino games available around the clock on mobile devices.
In its letter, the board emphasized that it does not oppose tribal participation in iGaming, writing that “any qualified operator should have the ability to obtain an iGaming license, including the Wabanaki Nations.” However, it warned that the bill’s structure would limit online casino licenses to a narrow group of operators, excluding Maine’s two commercial casinos entirely. Board members said that the current approach, as outlined in the bill, would create a de facto monopoly and harm both consumers and casino workers.
The board’s letter to Mills comes as new polling shows that public skepticism toward online casinos is widespread in the state.
Poll: Significant Opposition to Online Casino Gambling
A statewide survey conducted by Lake Research Partners found that nearly two-thirds of Maine voters oppose the legalization of online casino gambling. The National Association Against iGaming, a group opposed to the expansion of online casino gambling, commissioned the survey.
The poll was fielded from December 13 to 16, 2025, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. It gathered responses from 500 voters who are likely to participate in the 2026 general election.
According to the results, 64% of respondents are against legalizing iGaming, including 49% who said they strongly oppose it. Just 16% said they support legalization, while 20% were undecided. Political affiliation had little bearing on voters’ opinions, with 69% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 58% of Republicans saying they oppose online casino gambling.
When respondents were informed that Maine’s tribes would control the state’s iGaming, their opinions didn’t change significantly, with a 54% majority still opposing legalization, compared to only 21% who expressed support for it.
Pollsters also presented voters with arguments both for and against legalization in a simulated debate. Under those conditions, 57% said they opposed legalizing iGaming, while support fell to 17%. When voters listened to critical messaging about the potential harms of online gambling, their opposition rose to 67%, with a majority saying they strongly opposed legalization.
State lawmakers will likely pay close attention to the results, given that 41% of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a legislator who supported legalizing iGaming, compared with just 7% who said they would be more likely to do so. Furthermore, after hearing arguments on both sides of the issue, the share of voters saying they’d be less likely to back a lawmaker who supported the legalization of iGaming increased to 51%.
Despite opposing the legalization of online casino gambling, a majority of respondents (67%) expressed a favorable view of the Wabanaki Nations, while only 4% reported an unfavorable opinion.
Governor Must Act This Week
After failing to act on the online casino bill last summer, time is running out for Mills to decide on the bill’s fate. With the Legislature reconvening on January 7, she has three days under Maine law to sign or veto the bill; therefore, she’ll have to decide by this Friday at the latest.
Mills has not taken a public stance on the bill, leaving observers to speculate about which side she’ll ultimately come down on, even as many expect a veto. Her decision this week will determine whether Maine becomes the eighth state to legalize online casino gambling or whether the proposal stalls in the face of regulatory warnings and sustained public opposition to iGaming.
