A bill that would permit Maine’s tribes, off-track betting facilities and some commercial racetracks to conduct sports wagering has been placed on the state’s Special Appropriations Table, a final step before going to the governor.
House Bill 585 was first introduced on February 22 2021 as a tribal governance bill and has progressed through Maine’s House and Senate, having been amended twice to include sports wagering.
This amendment says that any tribal casino in Maine is eligible to receive a facility sports wagering license. However, Bangor Raceay at Bass Park is not eligible to receive such a license.
Bills with fiscal notes are sent to the Special Appropriations Table before they can receive funding from the Maine Legislature Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.
The bill is expected to lead to $1.6m worth of revenue for the Maine General Fund in the 2022-23 fiscal year, declining to $255,531 for 2023-24 and $226,508 for 2024-25.
The 13-person Committee then votes on whether the bill deserves funding, or whether enough funds are available.
As of March 2022, 146 bills were on the Table.
Before the bill was sent to the Table it was passed to be enacted by the state house on April 19, after the House voted in favor of it 82-42.