Maine Back on the Map as Online Poker Returns to The Pine Tree State

The great U.S. state of Maine has become the ninth state to legalize online poker, with the game expected to return for players in the most rural area of the United States. Standing at around 1.4 million citizens in terms of population, the state is a key area of poker’s regrowth. After Maine became the latest state to allow poker to return since Black Friday in 2011, poker players will be celebrating today.

A Long Time Coming

When the Full Tilt Poker scandal broke in April of 2011, then U.S. President Barack Obama immediately ceased online poker operations across all of America’s 50 states. It was a huge deal, cutting short careers and killing the passion of many Americans’ favorite pursuit. From Delaware to Detroit, Michigan to Madison Avenue, online poker disappeared overnight and it has taken almost 15 years to see it return to eight states across the nation.

It is estimated that approximately 60 million Americans play poker each year, making it one of the most popular games in the country. Americans account for over 50% of the world’s top 300 professional poker players according to The Hendon Mob, so a return to online poker in any of the states where it is now permitted is huge.

With poker soon to be accessible in Maine, The Pine Tree State will join Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Rhode Island and Connecticut is allowing players to lock horns at the digital felt. This is expected to have a positive effect on the economy in Maine after appealing to the tribal nature of the state and its Governor.

How Did Maine Push the Bill Through?

Essentially, Maine did less to push online poker and more to stop it coming in by an elapsed time period, meaning a softer approach that is less likely to anger partisan patrons who believe all forms of gambling are nefarious. The LD 1164 Act, which is there to “create economic opportunity for the Wabanaki nations through internet gaming” slipped past the period where it could be argued against and therefore became law at midnight on Saturday, January 10 this year.

The state’s Governor, Janet Mills, who was previously said to have been concerned about the bill if not actively against it, described how she had gone through a change of heart on the matter.

“I considered this bill carefully and while I have concerns about the impacts of gambling on public health, I believe that this new form of gambling should be regulated,” she said. “I am confident that Maine's Gambling Control Unit (GCU) will develop responsible rules and standards to hold providers of this new form of gambling accountable while ensuring that Maine's tribes benefit from its operations.”

That GCU will have to satisfy the four federally recognized tribes that make up the state of Maine: the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. Under the laws outlined in the LD 1164 Act, each tribe will be allowed to partner with a single platform provider. This means brands such as BetMGM, BetRivers or WSOP could all compete to provide the state’s online poker across the four licenses accredited to the tribes. The tribes will retain the exclusive rights to operate poker and casino gaming in the state of Maine.

When Can Maine Players Rejoin the Pool?

Whilst the biggest step has been overcome with the provision of new law, for poker to return to Maine, several steps still need to be climbed. The state will be imposing a 10% tax on “adjusted gross gaming revenue”, meaning that these funds will go directly to the aforementioned tribes, along with providing gambling addiction prevention initiatives and emergency medical services in Maine.

Liquidity will also be an issue that needs overcoming. Under the current LD 1164 Act, Maine cannot join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), meaning no cross-state play with states like New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada. This could put off WSOP.com among others, who just linked up the states where their WSOP and WSOP-Circuit events are played.

Essentially, Maine’s route back starts with their players belonging to an island on the West Coast of the most important country in the poker world. With just 1.4 million residents in The Pine Tree State, growing an intrastate-only market will take a lot of work. This obviously needs to happen to impact the state positively in monetary terms, opening up the possibility of linking up with the MSIGA.

Whilst regulations will rely on the GCU to construct, Maine players can be confident of returning to the online felt at some time within the next 12 months or very shortly after. Without the game for over 15 years by that point, the appetite for poker may never have been stronger.

Paul Seaton, an esteemed figure in the poker community with over ten years of experience, has provided live coverage from renowned poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour, and World Poker Tour. His involvement goes beyond observation; he has served as the Editor of BLUFF Europe Magazine and Head of Media for partypoker.