Maine became the eighth US state to authorize online casino gaming in January 2026, when Legislative Document 1164 was allowed to become law without a signature. Half a year later there is still no live product, and the state's status on our matrix is authorized rather than live for that reason.
This distinction gets flattened constantly in coverage and in search results. Authorized means a statute exists. Live means a licensed operator is accepting real-money play from inside the state. Maine has the first and not the second.
A tribal-exclusive model
The law hands exclusive internet gaming licences to Maine's four federally recognized Wabanaki Nations: the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi'kmaq Nation. Each may partner with a commercial operator and apply for one of the four available licences. Maine's two commercial casinos were not included and cannot independently run an online product.
Reporting indicates Caesars has secured partnerships with three of the four nations, with the Passamaquoddy Tribe not yet having announced a commercial partner. We are treating operator lineups as reported rather than confirmed until the regulator publishes a licence list.
What is holding the launch
The Maine Gambling Control Unit oversees internet gaming and is writing the rules that must be in place before operators can apply. Until those rules are finalized and licences issued, there is nothing to launch. Trade coverage through 2026 has put a late-2026 launch as possible with early 2027 still in play, and we are not committing to a date the regulator has not given.
The other Maine gambling law from 2026
Separately, Governor Mills signed Legislative Document 2007 on April 6, 2026, banning the operation or promotion of dual-currency online sweepstakes games. That ban took effect roughly 90 days after signing, around mid-July 2026. The two laws are unrelated in substance but arrived in the same session, and conflating them is easy: Maine authorized one form of online casino play and prohibited another inside three months.
Operators moved on the sweepstakes ban at different speeds. Jackpota exited Maine outright on June 2, 2026. MODO downgraded Maine to Gold Coin only on May 29, 2026.