Two separate efforts to legalize online casinos in Maine and Arkansas have stalled for the year. While both states had proposals on the table to expand digital gambling beyond sports betting, lawmakers in each case chose to hold off. Political resistance, competing interests, and the need for further study left both bills inactive heading into the rest of 2025.
Good to know
- Maine and Arkansas have both shelved online casino legislation for 2025.
- Arkansas lawmakers linked iGaming revenue to college athlete NIL funding.
- Maine’s proposal gave exclusive rights to tribes, sparking casino pushback.
Maine Delays Tribal iGaming Proposal
In Maine, lawmakers debated a bill in early April that would have granted the state’s four federally recognized tribes exclusive rights to operate online casinos. The framework was similar to Maine’s current online sports betting system, where tribes hold operational control and outsource technology and branding to external providers.
However, the plan ran into strong resistance from Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino Hotel, Maine’s two commercial casinos. They opposed the monopoly structure proposed in the bill and lobbied against it.
Faced with political pressure and ongoing disagreements, legislators decided to shelve the proposal for now. They called for more research and postponed any legislative commitment. Without further sessions or sudden changes, the bill won’t move forward in 2025. It’s the second time Maine lawmakers have pulled back from legalizing online casinos, following a similar decision in 2024.
Arkansas iGaming Bill Pulled After Committee Resistance
In Arkansas, online sports betting is already legal. Some legislators wanted to expand that model to include full online casino gambling, positioning it as a potential funding source for college athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs.
Representative Matt Duffield introduced HB 1861, a bill designed to let Arkansas’s three licensed commercial casinos — Southland Casino Hotel, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, and Saracen Casino Resort — partner with national iGaming brands like FanDuel or DraftKings. These collaborations would allow each casino to launch mobile platforms for Arkansas residents aged 21 and up.
Despite gaining bipartisan support from seven lawmakers, the bill ran into hesitation during its review. The House Judiciary Committee decided not to advance it. Instead, members voted to study the economic and social effects of legalizing online casinos before any further steps.
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