Legislative proposals to legalize online casino gaming in Arkansas and Maine are now officially dead for the 2025 session. While early versions and growing support to expand online casinos to further U.S. markets were clearly present, neither state moved to advance such legislation this year.
Key takeaways
● Bills in Arkansas and Maine to legalize online casinos failed.
● HB 1861 in Arkansas proposed giving three commercial casinos in the state licenses to launch online casinos.
● Maine's bill allowed four Native American tribes to operate online casinos but the state's two commercial casinos opposed it.
With Arkansas already offering online sports betting, some lawmakers proposed iGaming as a source of new money to spur college and university name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs.
After unsuccessful initial attempts, Rep. Matt Duffield introduced HB 1861 to legalize iGaming.
The bill would let Arkansas' three approved commercial casinos — Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, and Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis — form business arrangements with national online casino operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel. The arrangements enable each operator to build mobile casino platforms targeting Arkansas residents 21 and older.
Although it had bipartisan backing, with seven legislators supporting Rep. Duffield on HB 1861, lawmakers considered the bill with doubt. The proposal didn’t advance out of a committee hearing in early April. Lawmakers withdrew the measure from the House Judiciary Committee after the committee voted to study the possible economic and social effects of legalizing internet gambling.
Maine opposition mimicked Arkansas
In early April, state legislators began negotiating in Maine over a bill to award the state's four federally recognized tribes exclusive online casino gaming rights.
The proposal was patterned after Maine's online sports betting system, which also gives tribal nations operating control but contracts out technology and branding to third-party firms.
Under the proposed structure, tribes would maintain a monopoly on iGaming operations within the state. Maine's two commercial casinos — Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino Hotel— opposed the measure.
Following pressure and political debate, Maine lawmakers shelved the bills until later on, opting instead for further research before issuing any legislative assurances. The decision virtually sends the work for 2025 to the graveyard, absent a special session or unexpected occurrence to revive discussion. Maine voted down an online casino bill in 2024.
