Maine State Gambling Law

Within the state limits of  “The Pine Tree State,” the penal code is rather rigid in regards to gambling endeavors.  This is surprising from a state with the motto, “I direct,” for gamblers are certainly left with little direction in terms of where to turn to enjoy fantastic gambling endeavors.  Penal code 17.A.951 indicate that horse racing in all of its wagering forms is permissible, but that greyhound racing is not.  The law also clearly indicates that the only land based gambling establishments that can legally exist are those erected on Native American lands.  State lotteries within the state of Maine are also permitted.

There has been a bit of tension developing between the Native American Penobscot tribe and the law makers of Maine in recent years, related to slot offerings in Maine’s only legal casino.  Native Americans, seeing the potential financial gain that offering slots can provide, as well as the tremendous interest of gamblers in slot varieties, want to add slots to the offering in their existing casino.  Lawmakers in Maine however, to this date, will not hear of it.  Governor John Baldacci vetoed a bill that would have allowed the Penobscot tribe to provide residents of Maine with access to more than 100 slot games.  Now the Chief of the Penobscot Tribe, Kirk Francis is highly upset, as are many gambling fans that regularly enjoy slots gaming entertainment. So upset is Kirk Francis that he is ready to talk to tribe elders about considering the act of dissolving the tribal relationship with the state of Maine.

The single casino in the state is situated in Old Town, and to date, all the casino offers is Bingo gaming.  This is hardly considered a gambler’s paradise, but this is not due to any lack of effort on the part of the management or owner.  It is a good thing for residents of The Pine Tree State that online gambling endeavors exist!  Until lawmakers of The Pine Tree State are willing to go out on a limb and repeal restrictive laws pertaining to gambling, there will be very few gaming options in the state in physical locations.  Card games, table games, dice games, wheel games, slots of every kind one can dream of, and video poker as well as keno are offered right now online.  Maine residents do not have to plan a vacation to Connecticut or Las Vegas to get access to great gambling adventures as long as they have live Internet access and a few dollars to spend.