Maine Senate overrides Governor veto on sports betting bill
Maine’s Senate has voted to override Governor Janet Mills’ veto of a bill that would legalise sports betting in the state, with the legislation now set to move forward and become law.
The Senate voted 20-10 in favour of the measure when asked the question: “Shall this Bill become a law notwithstanding the objections of the Governor?” The bill will now be put to a vote in Maine’s House, where it is expected to pass.
Mills vetoed Legislative Document 553 last month, arguing that the people of Maine are not ready for sports betting. Though she praised the bill’s intention in bringing sports betting away from the black market, she did not believe such a bill at this time was the will of the people of her state.
Speaking last month, Mills added that she would rather see Maine examine the successes and failings of legal sports betting elsewhere in the US before a bill is passed in Maine.
Mills also said she was concerned the bill would not do enough to prevent young people being exposed to gambling through advertising. She acknowledged that mobile sportsbook operators were able to employ sophisticated mechanisms to detect problem gamblers and underage play.