Online gambling operators are starting to plan for the launch of Maine’s online casino market.
Last week, Maine became the latest state to legalize online gaming and poker last week. Now, Rush Street Interactive executives announced plans to enter the market.
The company owns the BetRivers online casino, sportsbook, and poker platform. Under the new law, Maine’s four federally-recognized tribes are allowed to partner with iGaming operators.
At the ICR Conference in Orlando on Monday, RSI President and CFO Kyle Sauers said the company will seek a partnership in the Pine Tree State.
“That’s a market that would fit really, really well for us and one where we could see a lot of success potentially partnering with a tribe,” he said.
Commercial Operators Need A Tribal Partner
For online casinos, the state’s four tribes are each allowed one partner. The market mimics the existing sports betting model in the market.
Only Caesars and DraftKings secured tribal partnerships and offer online sports betting in the state. Consequently, they are likely to receive at least two of the four licenses.
But while Caesars owns WSOP Online, DraftKings doesn’t offer an online poker product as of now. RSI has moved quickly into online poker and may be a second option for Mainers.
The company, which signed Phil Hellmuth as an ambassador in January 2025, launched an online poker product in Pennsylvania in November 2024. The company then expanded into Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia in June 2025.
BetRivers is now the sole online poker operator in Delaware and West Virginia. Sauers said the company had been profitable by the fourth quarter in all four markets, according to SBC Americas. A smaller state with less competition seems like a nice fit for BetRivers.
Sauers also pointed to other tribal partnerships as a positive for moving into Maine.
“We’ve been very successful there in other markets,” Sauers said. “Michigan and West Virginia are examples where we’ve had really solid success with iCasino with a very differentiated product and being a great partner for tribes where we haven’t lobbied against them, like some others have in certain markets. We’d love to bring that to Maine; it would be a great opportunity.”
Other Potential Players
Sauers apparently was referring to FanDuel, BetMGM, and Fanatics, which all testified against the Maine bill because of the tribal-only approach to iGaming. Those companies may possibly still look for a partner in the state.
Online poker success in Maine will be contingent on joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, which includes Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and West Virginia. With a population of just 1.4 million people, Maine is not large enough to create a robust online poker market on its own.
In related news, Virginia legislators are also considering legalizing online casinos and poker. A key New York senator also plans to introduce an online gaming bill this year as well and believes it may pass.
