AUGUSTA, Maine — The launch of sports betting in Maine is likely to be delayed until late 2023 or early next year.
Milton Champion, executive director of Maine's Gambling Control Unit, announced the first proposal of betting rules in January, and the time period for public comment on the proposal ended last week.
Champion said he and his staff are in the process of going over 581 comments before they can release the next version of the rules proposal, with the hope of making that announcement in May.
“We’ll look at each one of the comments. We’ll either accept the comment or reject it and the reasons why," Champion said Friday.
After January's public hearing, Champion said he was hopeful the state's betting program could launch this summer. But the number of comments to go over proved to delay things.
“We want our visitors in the summer, when they come up to camp, to be able to [bet here], right? Because any wagers in the state of Maine, we get the revenue. So, this is kind of why I kind of wanted to get this cranking by June, but it’s not going to happen," he added.
Another benefit of launching sports betting in the summer, Champion said, was the state could work out any potential kinks in the system before major events like the NFL season, Super Bowl, and March Madness begin.
Once the comments have been sorted and the new proposed rules are posted, Champion said the public will have a window of 14-30 days to make another round of comments.
He said he doesn't think it's "necessary to have another public hearing."
While other states, like Massachusetts, which launched mobile betting Friday, have dozens of staffers investigating license applications and crafting rules, Champion has a much smaller staff.
"And that’s not Maine’s fault. That’s not anybody’s fault," Champion said. "It is what it is and we’ll get the job done as expeditiously as we can. We realize Mainers want this.”
Champion said it's just him and one other person working on the rule-making process as of right now. A deputy director of the Gambling Control Unit will join Champion's team in early April and will focus entirely on sorting through the public comments.
While the news may not be what tentative Maine bettors hoped for, Champion said the gambling industry and other stakeholders can "steer" the timeline of the process, adding it's not entirely up to him.
In the meantime, potential mobile or walk-in gaming businesses can begin their application process. Champion said if the application is completed, the application fees are paid, and the background investigation is finalized, those businesses could be granted their gaming license the day betting goes online.
Champion said there will not be a set date for mobile gaming to launch nor a date for in-person betting facilities to open. The applications will be processed at the same time.
No one has submitted their application to Champion's office as of Friday.
“We’ve had inquiries, that’s all," he said.
Maine's sports betting law gives exclusive mobile gaming rights to Maine's indigenous tribes. Champion said he's spoken with the tribes and said they can work with mobile gaming to negotiate partnerships but cannot sign a contract until the rules are finalized.