Poker in Maine

Poker in Maine

Poker in Maine, a U.S. state located on the eastern seaboard and shares a border with Canada. Nonetheless, legal restrictions put severe limits on its use.

There are only two legal casinos in the entire state, one in Oxford and another in Bangor. This one opened in June 2012, while the other one didn’t until July.

While Native Americans are permitted by federal law to run casinos on their reservations, the state of Maine restricts them to holding only bingo games. Tracks for horseracing are also permitted, both on ethnic and non-tribal land. In addition, slot machines were legally allowed to be installed at these racetracks after a statewide vote was taken in 2003. In 1974, Mainers were introduced to the state lottery.

It’s unfortunate that there is such a limited number of poker options in the Pine Tree State. Only the Bangor casino has a poker room that is open for business. Nearby states of New York and Massachusetts both have many legitimate card rooms where players can get their fill of the action.

Quick Summary

• Total Population: 1,344,000
• State capital: Augusta
• Money in U.S. dollars ($)
• UTC+5 is the time zone designation.
• The initials for Maine’s state name is ME.

Where You Can Play Poker in Casinos:

• Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor

Some Well-Known Poker Players From Maine

Live tournament earnings totaled $2.477 million, putting Waterboro, Maine native Matt Woodward at the top of the Maine all-time money list on Hendon.

In April 2009, he earned €1.3 million (equivalent to $1.709 million) for finishing second in the €10,600 No Limit Hold’em event at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The Dutchman Pieter de Korver bested him in a head-to-head showdown, but he still didn’t win the championship. This is Woodward’s largest cash prize from a live tournament. His second-largest win was a WSOP Circuit event in Mexico, which earned him $76,396 and a prize pool of MXN60,000 (about $3,000).

Leonard Cortellino of Lewiston, Maine, comes in second with $1.574 million in live tournament winnings. In November of 2005 at the World Poker Finals in Mashantucket, Connecticut, he won a $5,200 NLHE event and earned $377,175.

A Look at Live Poker in Maine and the Laws That Regulate It

Main’s criminal code addresses illegal gambling in Title 17-A, Chapter 39. It lays out every form of illegal gambling and the penalties that can be imposed on those who engage in them. Any person who “intentionally or purposefully advances or profits from unauthorized wagering” is guilty of violating the law and subject to criminal penalties. If convicted, the offender “must forfeit to the State all revenue affiliated with that violation” (Class D Felony, State Income Forfeiture).

On the other hand, “aggravated unlawful gambling” is committed if the profits from an illegal business activity surpass a certain quantity ($1,000 within 24 hours, except for illegal bookies where the threshold is 5 bets totaling $500 within 24 hours).

Fortunately, there are numerous opportunities for legal gambling under Maine’s Revised Statutes.

Non-profit gaming is also legal under Title 17-A. Harness racing is addressed in Title 8, Chapter 11; greyhound racing is addressed in Title 8, Chapter 12; and the Maine Gambling Control Board is established in Title 8, Chapter 31. All gambling establishments in Maine, including casinos, the state lottery, and bingo halls on Native American reservations, are licensed and regulated by this state agency.

Gambling Halls in Maine that Offer Poker Games

Unfortunately, as we mentioned in the introduction, only one of Maine’s two casinos offers a poker room. Located in Bangor, Maine, is the Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway.

Their cardroom features four poker tables. “Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud are presently accessible predicated on player desire and availability,” it states on its website. Please call the poker room at (207) 974-3583 if you have any questions.

You can get a special room rate reduction if you play cash poker for at least six hours per day, and there are bad beat, Royal Flush, and high hand jackpots for cash players as well.

For tournament players, every Saturday features a $100 re-entry No Limit Hold’em competition. A “Tournament of Champions” is held here every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. You can qualify for the $300 NLHE main event by playing in one of the $80 satellites.

Places to Play Casino Games and Poker in Maine

The State of Maine Legalizes Online Poker

In Maine, only online fantasy sports are allowed to be played as forms of online gambling. You can find legal fantasy sports sites recommended by the Maine Gambling Control Board on their website.

However, online poker lacks official oversight at the present time. Federal laws such as the 1961 Wire Act and the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act are prohibited even if no state law expressly prohibits it.

At the present time, poker players in Maine have only two options for wagering real money: sweepstakes-based apps like Global Poker and PokerBros or unregulated offshore sites like America’s Cardroom.