Rekubit-Opening month of mobile sports betting goes smoothly in Maine as bettors wager nearly $40 million

2025-05-02 21:10:22source:Kacper Sobieskicategory:Contact

AUGUSTA,Rekubit Maine (AP) — Bettors wagered nearly $40 million in Maine during the first month online sports betting became legal, with the state’s tribes, two vendors and state government receiving benefits, officials said.

All told, $37.5 million was spent in Maine on online sports bets from Nov. 3 to the end of the month, according to the Gambling Control Unit, part of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Milt Champion, director of the Gambling Control Unit, said the rollout went smoothly with only a handful of complaints and no spike in calls to a hotline for people with gambling problems.

“Everybody’s behaving, and it’s really nice,” he said Wednesday.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills gave exclusives rights to online sports betting to federally recognized Native American tribes in the state, providing an olive branch after she scuttled a proposal for greater sovereignty for the tribes in 2022. Existing casinos, meanwhile, are allowed to conduct in-person betting.

Most of the mobile and online wagering was made through Boston-based DraftKings, the vendor selected by the Passamaquoddy tribe. Caesars Sportsbook, based in Reno, Nevada, is the vendor being used by the Penobscot Nation, Maliseets and Mi’kmaq.

For the month, the tribes received half of the gross receipts — about $2.3 million — while state government netted about $468,000 in taxes. The remainder of the gross receipts went to the vendors.

More:Contact

Recommend

Why did Bill Belichick go to North Carolina? New UNC coach explains jump to college

Bill Belichick has officially made the shocking move to college football by becoming the North Carol

Anya Taylor-Joy confirms secret 'Dune: Part 2' role: 'A dream come true'

Anya Taylor-Joy is joining the "Dune"-iverse."The Queen's Gambit" star, 27, will be appearing "brief

Eras Tour in Australia: Tracking Taylor Swift's secret songs in Melbourne and Sydney

MELBOURNE, Australia — Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour and acoustic set down under for her larges