Gaming LDs / Bills for the 132nd Maine Legislative Session
The First Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature convened on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 10am.
Cloture for Legislators for the First Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature is Friday, January 10, 2025 at 4 pm. All bill requests must be filed with the Office of the Revisor of Statutes by cloture.
| LD/Bill | LD 33 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sen. Craig Hickman (D - Kennebec) |
| Title | An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Fantasy Contests |
| Summary | This bill updates the definition of "fantasy contest" to mean a contest in which 6 or more contestants pay an entry fee to participate and adds a definition of "proposition bet." It also updates the initial and renewal fee for a license for a fantasy contest operator to $5,000 and repeals the law allowing a fantasy contest operator to operate a fantasy contest while an initial license, license renewal or license transfer is pending. The bill also prohibits fantasy contests based on proposition betting.> |
| Status | In Committee (Work Session Scheduled for 03/12/2025, 09:30am) |
| LD/Bill | LD 793 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sen. Craig Hickman (D - Kennebec) |
| Title | An Act to Modernize Gaming Revenue Allocations and Increase Efforts to Prevent Gambling Addiction |
| Summary | This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208. This bill proposes to amend the law governing gaming revenue allocations by modernizing cascade allocations and increasing the allocations to the Gambling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Fund. |
| Status | In Committee |
| LD/Bill | LD 811 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Rep. Michael F. Brennan (D - Portland) |
| Title | An Act to Require a Municipal Public Hearing and Vote Before a Sports Wagering Facility May Be Established |
| Summary | This bill requires an applicant for a facility sports wagering license to request and receive approval from the municipal officers of the municipality in which the sports wagering facility is to be physically located before the director of the Gambling Control Unit within the Department of Public Safety may issue the license. The municipal officers are required to hold a public hearing for the consideration of the request to conduct sports wagering at a physical location within that municipality before issuing a decision, which must be provided to the applicant and the director in writing. An aggrieved applicant may appeal the decision of the municipal officers to the director. If the sports wagering facility is to be physically located in an unincorporated place, the applicant must request and receive approval from the county commissioners of the county in which the sports wagering facility is to be physically located. A facility sports wagering license is valid only at the facility sports wagering licensee's municipally approved physical location. |
| Status | NOT PASSED MARCH 20, 2025 (Ought Not to Pass Pursuant To Joint Rule 310) |
| LD/Bill | LD 835 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sen. Susan Bernard (R - Aroostook) |
| Title | An Act to Allow Children to Participate in Beano Games Conducted by Nonprofit Charitable Organizations |
| Summary | This bill authorizes bona fide nonprofit charitable, educational, political, civic, recreational, fraternal, patriotic, religious or veterans' organizations to conduct beano without a license or without registering with the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Unit when beano games are offered exclusively to a club, group or organization composed of individuals at least 90% of whom are under 18 years of age or to an incorporated community organization, agency or institution, games are offered exclusively on the premises of the organization conducting beano and there is no fee charged to participate in a beano game. |
| Status | In Committee (Public Hearing scheduled for 03/24/2025, 10:00am) |
| LD/Bill | LD 863 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Rep. James Lee White (R - Guilford) |
| Title | An Act to Exempt Internet Raffles Conducted by Certain Organizations with Prizes of $2,500 or Less from Registration and Licensing Requirements |
| Summary | This bill removes the prohibition on an agricultural society, nonprofit organization, volunteer fire department or their auxiliaries to conduct Internet raffles in which the total value of the prize offered to the holder of the winning chance does not exceed $2,500 or, if there are multiple winning chances, the total value of all prizes offered do not exceed a value of $2,500 without being required to register with the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Unit. |
| Status | In Committee (Public Hearing scheduled for 03/24/2025, 10:00am) |
| LD/Bill | LD 1086 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Rep. Donald J. Ardell (R - Monticello) |
| Title | An Act to Remove State Requirements for Nonprofits on Raffles and Internet Raffles with Prizes of $2,500 or Less |
| Summary | This bill allows nonprofit organizations to conduct raffles and Internet raffles in which the prize or prizes does not exceed $2,500 without having to register with the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Unit. |
| Status | In Committee (Public Hearing scheduled for 03/24/2025, 10:00am) |
| LD/Bill | LD 1164 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Rep. Ambureen Rana (D - Bangor) |
| Title | An Act to Create Economic Opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations Through Internet Gaming |
| Summary | This bill authorizes each federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in this State to operate Internet gaming pursuant to a license from the Gambling Control Unit within the Department of Public Safety. Only a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in this State is eligible to obtain a license and operate Internet gaming. The licensing structure follows the law governing sports wagering. |
| Status | In Committee (Work Session scheduled for 04/24/2025, 1:00pm) |
| LD/Bill | LD 1188 (Emergency) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Rep. Mark C. Cooper (R - Windham) |
| Title | An Act to Include Harness Racing with Other Sports for Purposes of Sports Wagering |
| Summary | This bill allows for the sale of pari-mutuel pools by persons who are licensed by the Maine State Harness Racing Commission as commercial racetracks at facilities also licensed by the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Unit for sports wagering. It repeals a provision of law that restricts where persons licensed to conduct harness horse racing with pari-mutuel betting may sell pari-mutuel pools for simulcast races that otherwise would be repealed on January 1, 2026. |
| Status | In Committee (Work Session scheduled for 04/07/2025, 9:30am) |
| LD/Bill | LD 1304 (Referred to Taxation Committee) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sen. Joseph Baldacci (D - Penobscot) |
| Title | RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Limit Property Tax Increases for Individuals 65 Years of Age or Older and Shift the Tax Burden to State Gaming Revenues |
| Summary | This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to require taxes on property owned and occupied by a permanent resident of this State for at least 12 months as that person's primary residence to be capped at 2% each year if that person is at least 65 years of age. Upon transfer of the property to someone other than a family member of the owner, the property would assume the just value at the time of transfer. The State is required to reimburse municipalities for revenue lost due to the 2% cap on taxes using revenue from a 2% tax imposed on the sale of lottery tickets and sports betting. |
| Status | Taxation Committee |
| LD/Bill | LD 1490 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sen. Nicole Grohoski (D - Hancock) |
| Title | An Act to Allow Nonprofit Organizations to Sell Progressive Pull-tab Games and to Offer Partner-assisted Beano and to Establish New Guidelines for the Expansion of Gambling |
| Summary | This bill requires review and evaluation of any proposal to authorize new for-profit gambling in the State or to expand existing authorized for-profit gambling in the State. Following a public hearing on such a proposal, and if a majority of the joint standing committee of jurisdiction supports the proposal, the proposal must be submitted to the Gambling Control Board and the Gambling Control Unit within the Department of Public Safety for review and evaluation of the financial impact that the proposal would have on eligible nonprofit organizations licensed or registered to conduct games of chance. The Legislature may not enact into law any such proposal unless the proposal is reviewed and evaluated by the Gambling Control Board and the Gambling Control Unit and determined to have no negative financial impact on eligible nonprofit organizations licensed or registered to conduct games of chance. The bill also authorizes partner-assisted beano, as long as the partnered pair plays no more than 18 tally cards per game. The bill also defines "lucky seven or similar sealed ticket game," which is a game of chance, and clarifies that lucky seven or similar sealed ticket games include so-called progressive pull-tab games, which are games designed by the manufacturer to include a jackpot prize that is carried over to a subsequent series of tickets or cards with the same form number in the event that jackpot prize is not won. |
| Status | In Committee (Work Session scheduled for 04/24/2025, 1:00pm) |
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