With the introduction of bill LD 1164 last weekend, Maine has become the 9th US state to legalize online poker.
Rights to offer online gaming — including casino games — have been granted to the state’s four federally recognized tribes, collectively known as the Wabanaki Nations: the Penobscot and Mi’kmaq Nations, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.
A 10% tax will be imposed, with funds heading to the tribes as well as various state-level initiatives addressing problem gambling.
Online poker in the Pine Tree state is not out of the woods
While news that another state is prepared to reintroduce online poker is encouraging, the conversation's absence to date of larger players in the online poker market, such as PokerStars or BetMGM, gives some potential cause for concern.
With fewer than two million inhabitants, Maine is in the bottom 10 US states in terms of population. Without a strong marketing budget behind it, or a shared player pool with another state, some worry that the liquidity required to sustain a healthy online poker ecosystem may not be attainable.
However, each of the four tribes will be able to partner with a platform provider, leaving the door open for established poker brands to enter the Maine market in partnership with one of the tribes. Again, though, the division of the state’s player base into four separate buckets may not help the chances of Maine’s online poker population reaching the critical mass needed to sustain regular games.
For online poker in a less-populous state like Maine to flourish, joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) alongside the likes of Michigan, Nevada and New Jersey would appear to be key, yet the bill does not currently make provision for such a move.
We’re likely still some way off being able to log on and play a hand in Maine, with current estimates at around a year, so expect plenty more twists and turns in this tale before then.
We’ll bring you more news as it develops.
Additional image courtesy of the PokerGO Tour.
