Maine Regulator Publishes Third Draft Of Online Casino Rules

The Maine Gambling Control Unit has published a third draft of its proposed online casino rules, dated 30 September, making changes to the version filed in July, according to Legal Sports Report.

The revised draft clarifies that backend systems for live dealer games, including game engines and random number generators, do not need to be based in Maine, though the primary server that accepts and stores live dealer wagers must remain in the state.

Live dealer studios themselves can also sit outside Maine, an unusual provision for online casino regulation, provided the studio is approved by the director and meets requirements on location, security, surveillance and staffing. The rules add quarterly audit inspections of live dealer systems and studios, with licensees covering the regulator's travel, hotel and meal costs.

The September draft also defines live dealer games for the first time, describing them as those run by a licensed live human dealer operating physical equipment and delivered to patrons in real time via video stream. The July version had only listed live dealer games as a type of casino-style product without further definition.

Operators still need director approval for new core game mechanics, but the rules now allow lab-certified games within previously approved categories to go live upon regulatory notification rather than separate written sign-off. Patches, security updates, configuration changes and maintenance releases no longer require individual approval, though operators must log the changes and provide records to the director on request. Larger changes that alter an approved game without introducing a novel wagering format move through a scheduled review process set by the regulator instead of being submitted as one-off requests.

New marketing restrictions target advertising reaching people under 21. Operators are barred from campus marketing aimed at or mainly reaching under-21s, from distributing flyers or running in-person signups for that age group, and from putting online casino branding on clothing, toys or games sold in Maine that are mainly marketed to minors.

The September draft introduces tribal branding requirements absent from the July version, requiring that advertising and promotions display the name and logo of the benefiting tribe in the same font size as the operator's own branding.

Self-exclusion enforcement moves to an automated, real-time system run by a third party and approved by the Gambling Control Board, replacing password-protected email notices, faxes and monthly list updates. Operators will see additions and deletions to the list as they happen. Exclusion periods of one, three and five years, plus a lifetime option, remain unchanged, and lifetime exclusions can still be appealed to the board in writing after five years.

Core financial terms are unaffected by the revision: an 18% tax on adjusted gross iGaming receipts, a $50,000 operator licence fee and a $500,000 bond requirement all carry over from the July draft.

Maine became the eighth US state to legalise iGaming in January, with online casino access reserved exclusively for the state's Wabanaki tribes. The rules are not yet final and no launch date has been set. The Gambling Control Unit is accepting public comment on the latest draft through 30 October.