Gaming Regulators in Maine Caution Public About Unregulated Casino Websites

Maine lawmakers are still evaluating bills to permit iGaming, which includes websites and apps for online slots and table games. In the interim, the state agency responsible for regulating legal gambling is warning the public against using offshore gambling sites. 

On Monday, Milton Champion, director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, a part of the state Public Safety Department, released a statement recommending that consumers steer clear of unlicensed, unregulated gambling websites. 

Maine hosts two authorized online sportsbooks — Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings — along with five online fantasy sports sites — DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, OwnersBox, and RealTime. 

Visiting a site that provides sports betting and/or fantasy sports, which isn't one of those operators, is against the law. The same applies to any website or mobile application that offers real-money casino games, including contentious sites that market themselves as sweepstakes platforms.

"These sites may appear legitimate, but none are licensed or regulated by the state. No online casino, iGaming, or sweepstakes site is authorized to operate in Maine,” Champion said in a statement.

Sweeps and social casinos remain under examination by gaming regulators, state attorneys general, and the federal government. The use of dual-currency systems by the platforms has been considered an unlawful method to evade state regulations. 

Sweepstakes advocates deny these claims, as the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) informed Casino.org on Monday that their members offer “entertaining, free-to-play online experiences … via sweepstakes promotional strategies commonly utilized by reputable consumer brands across the country.” 

Maine Considers iGaming 

Last week, Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee astonished the iGaming sector by advancing a bill to permit online casinos that it had earlier put aside in March. Legislative Document 1164/House Paper 769 is currently under examination in the chambers of the State Legislature. 

The likelihood of Maine joining Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia in permitting online casino games remains low. Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) is against increased gaming, and the two existing casino operators in the state — Penn Entertainment and Churchill Downs — have informed state legislators that they do not want to broaden their activities online. 

Champion states that the public is only permitted to play slot machines and table games in person at Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino Hotel. Any site claiming differently is not credible. 

State Gaming Public Service Announcements 

Maine's Gambling Control Unit has become the most recent state gaming regulatory body to caution consumers that iGaming is still not allowed. In conjunction with gaming regulators, casinos have also released advisories regarding offshore websites that are impersonating their online identities. 

In April, Jake’s 58, a video lottery casino located on Long Island in New York, alerted its patrons and the community about a deceitful website purporting to provide iGaming on the casino's behalf. The Golden Nugget in Danville, Illinois, Caesars Virginia, Plainridge Park in Massachusetts, Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Saracen Casino Resort in Arkansas have all released statements denouncing online applications and websites that pretend to be affiliates of the physical casinos. 

Numerous unlawful gaming sites function from nations that are supportive of iGaming, such as Malta, the Isle of Man, Anjouan, Gibraltar, Curacao, the Philippines, and Ukraine.