Maine Gov. and tribes reportedly working on deal to give them mobile sports betting exclusivity

Maine Governor Janet Mills, who in July last year vetoed a bill that would have allowed state tribes to open casinos or other gambling businesses on their tribal lands, is reportedly working on a deal with tribes to give them exclusive rights to operate mobile sports betting. Mills had also vetoed sports betting legislation in 2020 over concerns about expanding gambling in Maine.

According to a summary of the proposal from the governor’s office cited by the Bangor Daily News, federally recognized tribes in Maine would be the only groups eligible to get mobile sports betting licenses, while casinos that have been seeking to expand into that market would be excluded. 

The proposed deal would give tribes more authority by overhauling a 1980s land-claims settlement that relegated them to the status of cities and towns. The offer split the Bangor delegation. On Friday, Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, accused the governor of structuring the bills to defeat both tribal rights and sports betting measures. He was the only Senate Democrat to oppose a tribal gaming bill that Mills vetoed last year, but he said he generally supports tribal sovereignty efforts aside from gaming expansion.

The bill would operate similarly to a sports betting bill that passed in both chambers last year but has languished without funding since then. Off-track betting parlors would be the only entities able to seek in-person betting licenses. The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac tribes would be the only ones able to get mobile licenses.

Similar to other state gaming laws, the measure would set revenue from the industry to cover regulation, gaming addiction treatment, support harness racing and agricultural fairs.

Maine Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, said he was accosted by three lobbyists connected to the issue on Thursday before Mills’ State of the State speech. He said he is still learning about the bill itself, but he has supported two tribal gaming bills in the past. That is a “tough position” to take in Bangor, he said.

Tribal gaming has been a fraught subject in the state. Tribes have tried referendums and legislative avenues to get casino rights, something that could prove to be an economic driver. But heavy lobbying from casinos and skepticism from governors have defeated prior attempts. Tribal chiefs have been adamant that they want the full slate of rights enjoyed by other tribes in the country. While some kind of agreement looks close, all five chiefs wrote a Bangor Daily News Op-Ed in support of a bill from U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd Congressional District, that would grant them wider sovereignty.

Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor, said the compromise bill felt like a “concession” to tribes looking for full sovereignty. She was not worried her city would suffer from tribes also having the ability to run gaming options. “I think Hollywood Casino is going to be fine,” she said.

Mills’ offer would also amend state tax laws to give Wabanaki tribes and members certain sales and income tax benefits available to other federally recognized tribes, recoup some state sales taxes and set up a consultation process for state policies that would affect the tribes.