Maine becomes the second US state in 2026 – after Indiana – to pass a sweepstakes casino ban, now that Governor Janet Mills (pictured) has signed LD 2007 into law.
Mills signed off on the proposal on Monday, and with no date listed in the wording, it’s likely to come into effect on July 14, 2026. According to the Maine State Legislature website, a bill “ordinarily becomes law 90 days after the adjournment of that legislative session”, and the ME session adjourns on April 15 this year.
The bill’s capture of the currency system of “online sweepstakes games” is one of the most thorough and impressive we’ve seen so far. It’s defined as one that:
“Encourages a person to purchase services, products, coins, tokens, or other representations of value that are not exchangeable for a prize, award, cash, or cash equivalents, or a chance to win a prize, award, cash, or cash equivalents, in order for that person to obtain the coins, tokens, or other representations of value that are exchangeable for prizes, awards, cash, or cash equivalents, or a chance to win a prize, award, cash, or cash equivalents.”
Avoiding the mention of dual-currency or even multi-currency systems, this definition chooses to focus on the functional effect rather than the mechanics. This leaves little room for operators to argue that the sweepstakes structure of Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins exempts them, making the ban more airtight and harder to circumvent.
LD 2007 Goes Hand in Hand with iGaming Legalization in Maine
To be truthful, this was one of the most likely anti-sweeps proposals to pass in 2026, since Mills had already allowed LD 1164 to become law in January. It’s a similar situation with DC’s push for regulated gaming/sweepstakes ban.
LD 1164 is a milestone piece of legislation, allowing the state to begin licensing online casinos for the first time. It means the Pine Tree State will join New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in regulating real-money online casino play. Along with this, it was only sensible to ban sweepstakes casinos.
Maine will be preparing to open the gates for this new vertical – one in which only federally recognized tribes will be permitted to run online casinos, likely in partnership with established platforms.
On the other hand, sweeps platforms like Chumba, WOW Vegas, and McLuck will now have to make preparations to leave Maine as soon as possible.
Sweepstakes Operators Will Now Be Preparing to Leave Maine
Yes, we’re about to see a mass exodus, as the vast majority of sweeps sites currently operate in Maine. The only big names we’ve seen withdraw before now are Jackpota and Mega Bonanza, but we expect 100+ brands to follow.
In terms of a deterrent under LD 2007, violating operators may be fined from $10,000-$100,000, with any fines collected contributing to the state’s Gambling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Fund. Violating operators would also make themselves ineligible for a gambling license in the state in the future.
LD 2007 was pre-filed in December by Senator Craig Hickman. It faced opposition from sweepstakes industry group, the SGLA, and received a vote in the House that was far from unanimous (87-55). However, it’s likely that many lawmakers saw an opening to tighten the rules around alternative gaming models like sweepstakes casinos with the state’s upcoming legalization of iGaming.
Maine residents who play at sweeps casinos should look out for any emails or notifications in the coming days and weeks. As always in these situations, we advise players to redeem any remaining SC balances as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Author: Joseph Allen
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