Caesars to Introduce 3 Verticals to Maine upon iGaming Market Launch

Maine legalized online casinos back in January, and while no concrete launch date has been publicly released, the Pine Tree State has gained a new suitor for its imminent iGaming market. Caesars announced that it will expand its partnership with the local tribes, with the addition of an online casino, when the market finally opens. It puts the company into a prime position to take the lead on the new iGaming market, one that could be difficult for operators to break into.

The law essentially gives the native tribes the monopoly on online casinos, and as there are only 4, this means only 4 casinos could realistically obtain licenses and launch in Maine. And Caesars is already partnered with 3 of those 4, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Penobscot Nation. The last, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, has a partnership with DraftKings, and both DraftKings and Caesars have sportsbooks live in the state.

Caesars Takes Early Lead on Maine

Caesars announced it will expand its footprint in Maine, adding to the sportsbook, and gaining the necessary permissions once licenses become available. It is in a strong position to dominate the market before Maine even launches iGaming, and with partnerships to three of the four local tribes, Caesars leaves little room for any competition. To up the ante, it is planning to bring in Caesars Palace Online Casino, the Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, and the Horsehoe Online Casino brands.

• Caesars Palace Online Casino
• Caesars Sportsbook & Casino
• Horsehoe Online Casino

The Caesars Sportsbook & Casino is the company’s flagship brand, essentially adding casino games to the sports betting platform that is already up and live in Maine. Caesars Palace Online Casino is more of a premium gaming brand, focusing entirely on slots, table games and live dealer games, with Las Vegas Strip casino themes and high end gaming experiences. Then, with Horseshoe, they will target a slightly different audience, with more focus on expert gamers. This is Caesar’s more specialized gaming site, with high-limit slots, more specialty games, and progressive jackpots.

As things stand, this would give Caesars a massive share of the Maine iGaming revenue, which is something pretty new to both the American iGaming industry and for Caesars. Sure, if you compare it to landbased dominance, there are states such as North Carolina, Virginia, and Arizona where Caesars has a similar, near-monopoly control of the market. But in iGaming, this is a rarity in America.

How Maine’s Market May Look

Maine’s LD 1164, which was signed into law by Governor Janet Mills in January, legalized online casinos in Maine but with strict conditions. The native tribes of Maine would be given the exclusive rights to launch their own online casinos or partner up with major brands. With only 4 tribes in Maine, this limits to competition heavily, and the Maine Control Board argued that such a move wouldn’t have much of an effect in bringing players to regulated sites.

Though the sports betting market is pretty much the same, with only 4 spaces for operators through tribal compacts, and currently only Caesars and DraftKings operate in the state. Sure, Maine is not a major market out there, in the American Gaming Association State of States revenue tracker, Maine’s commercial casinos recorded just $234.6 million in gaming consumer spend. While that beat New Hampshire’s $103.6 million (which has a stricter monopoly), it fell severely behind Connecticut’s $973.4 million and Massachusetts’ $2 billion commercial casino gaming spend.

But going beyond what this means for Mainers, this type of iGaming legal structure could have bigger implications for the rest of the US. Because it represents something that is quite out of the ordinary, and potentially quite interesting for state authorities to weigh if they are looking into legalizing online casinos anytime soon. With Maine’s imminent launch, there will be just 8 states in which online casinos are legal in the US – and loads more like Virginia, and New York, have been sizing up iGaming bills.

Tribal vs Partnerships vs Open License Markets

There are numerous ways these states can go about legalizing online casinos, and it all boils down to the extent they want to limit the market, and whether or not the licenses should be tethered or untethered. Untethered licenses are the norm at international jurisdictions such as Malta, Curacao, and so on. These are licenses where the operator can apply directly, and provided they meet the authorities’ compliance standards, they can gain approval to enter the market. Tethered licenses, on the other hand, require gambling platforms to partner with local institutions – such as sports franchises, horse racing tracks, and, of course, native tribes.

Franchise and horse racing track partnerships are commonly used in legal sports betting states. For instance, when Kentucky legalized sports betting, the state created a framework where the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation would gain the tethered partnership rights. Race tracks such as Cumberland Run, Turfway Park Racing & Gaming, and Sandy’s Racing & Gaming received offers from major US sportsbooks, by the law, they could partner with up to 3 mobile brands, and for example, Cumberland Run partnered with DraftKings and Circa Sports.

In other states, there may be partnered licensing options through sports franchises in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, local soccer teams, and so on. It all depends on the state (and the number of licenses they would realistically provide, and the number of sports organizations that could be deemed reliable to handle these). In Missouri, which legalized betting back in December 2025, has both tethered and untethered licenses, with partnerships provided through the state’s casinos and sports franchises, nad DraftKings and Circa Sports both operating with the untethered mobile licenses.

Tribal Compacts and Partnerships

Tribes are in a special category, because the reservation land is protected by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and have the autonomy to operate landbased casinos, outside of state laws. They have experience with these products, and by integrating the tribes into the regulated online casino market, the state authorities can pass on the operational burdens and costs. The arrangement can bypass several complex federal laws, benefitting both state and the tribes within the state.

For many tribes across the US, gaming is a big part of their financial ecosystem. It provides jobs, brings in revenue, and gives them some kind of financial lifeline that can sustain the autonomous communities. The special laws that protect tribes allow them to command percentages of the GGR that their partnered operators take in, which the operators and tribes can negotiate when building partnerships. It is a uniquely US type of arrangement, and one that is quite common among the sports betting states. Another special case is the legal online sportsbooks in Florida. The state has a unique state-sanctioned monopoly, with the Seminole Tribe holding the monopoly to offer online sports betting, in a lengthy tribal compact. Partnered with Hard Rock Bet, the tribal compact was signed in 2021, and will last for 30 years until 2051.

Caesars Direction Under Fertitta

Casting the spotlight onto Caesars, this is an interesting time for the reputable brand that deals in landbased casinos, hospitality, online gaming platforms and sportsbooks. Right now, it is up for sale and Tilman Fertitta submitted a bid to buy Caesars in May for $17.6 billion. This involves buying the companies landbased and online operations, as well as a $11.9 debt package. Caesars has until mid July to entertain alternative offers, but right now it looks like they are destined to become the latest addition to Fertitta’s portfolio.

To aide a company struggling with years long debt, declining landbased gaming revenue, and online verticals that are failing to compete in the sports betting market with DraftKings and FanDuel, Caesars needs a strong vision going forward. There have been initiatives to branch out, such as with Caesars’ in-house gaming studio creating unique titles, and expansions in its landbased casino portfolio.

Looking Forward

The situation in Maine will definitely give Caesars a boost, albeit a small one because this is not a massive market. However, thinking forward, this could be a significant step forward for the gaming company. Because Caesars has 35+ casinos spread across 13 states, and many more partnerships with tribal nations across teh US. The casino portfolio includes commercial venues in cities like New Orleans, St. Louis, Reno, Baltimore, and so on. Then, there are its tribal partnered casinos, such as the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Arizona, Harrah’s Resort in Southern California, and Caesars Virginia. From riverboat casinos to the largest resorts in Vegas, and significant casinos in Atlantic City, Caesars is a brand that is well known, and widespread.

Right now, there are a handful of states that are actively considering legalizing online casinos. Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana and even New York are exploring iGaming bills, weighing the pros and cons, and proposing frameworks with taxation schemes, licensing frameworks, and possibly even tribal affiliations. If Maine doesn’t prove to be a massive revenue boosting investment, it could at least give Caesars a leg up in future iGaming markets where tribal compacts may be the done thing, where trying to push in their 3 iGaming brands could take up a significant portion of the market share.