Legislative efforts looking to legalize online casino gambling are slowly falling apart this year.
This week, lawmakers in Maine and Arkansas have punted online casino legalization efforts.
Both efforts looked like they might have had an easier route to legalization than some other markets considering the moves this session.
Maine Online Casino Effort
Maine lawmakers tabled LD 1164 in a Joint Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee meeting Monday. While the legislation was expected, it was just introduced last week.
The proposal is similar to the online sports betting framework in Maine. It would give the four tribes in the state the ability to partner with an online casino operator. In sports betting, three of the tribes partnered with Caesars, while another saddled up with DraftKings.
Maine casino operators Churchill Downs and Penn Entertainment came out against the legislation. Other online gambling operators campaigned for allowing more operators into the market.
A similar Senate proposal fell short in the House last year. This year, lawmakers decided they needed more time to discuss the issue.
Arkansas Gambling Expansion
The potential for online casinos in Arkansas was first floated by Saracen Casino Resort’s Carlton Saffa, who believes the state’s gambling laws can be amended to include online gambling similar to how the state expanded sports betting.
Still, a legislative effort started up last month. This week, Rep. Matt Duffield pulled his HB 1861 before a committee hearing Monday. The proposal would have allowed the three Arkansas casinos to expand to online offerings.
Rather than legalize the online expansion, the committee recommended a study on the bill in the interim.
2025 Online Casino Efforts Crumble
Maine and Arkansas lawmakers are not the first to push the discussion on online gambling to the future. New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang tabled his proposal earlier this year.
Lawmakers in Indiana, Virginia and Wyoming also decided to drop consideration this year. Other states like Maryland saw a quick pickup on discussions, only to see efforts fizzle out as the session moved on.
The movement to push gambling online also met new organized opposition, as The Cordish Companies and Churchill Downs led the formation of the National Association Against iGaming.
