An Act Regarding the Licensing of Persons To Conduct Advance Deposit Wagering
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0587
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: MILLETT
Amends: 8 MRSA §1001, 8 MRSA §1003, 8 MRSA §1071

Legislative Document
No. 587
H.P. 430
House of Representatives, February 24, 2021
An Act Regarding the Licensing of Persons To Conduct Advance 
Deposit Wagering
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 22, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MILLETT of Waterford.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  8 MRSA §1001, sub-§29-C, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 499, §2, is amended 
to read:
29-C.  Net commission.  "Net commission" means the amount of wagers placed via 
advance deposit wagering after payment of money from winning wagers to winning bettors 
less a percentage paid to the board for administrative expenses of the board and less an 
amount retained by the an advance deposit wagering licensee.
Sec. 2.  8 MRSA §1003, sub-§2, ¶U, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 499, §7, is amended 
by amending subparagraph (3) to read:
(3)  Distributions of account statements to advance deposit wagering account 
holders from the an advance deposit wagering licensee;
Sec. 3.  8 MRSA §1071, first ¶, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 499, §8, is amended to 
read:
The board shall develop a request for proposals for the purpose of awarding one bidder 
no more than 3 bidders the privilege to be licensed to conduct advance deposit wagering.  
The request for proposals must instruct potential bidders to propose the method by which 
they will conduct advance deposit wagering that provides the maximum benefit to the 
harness racing industry and the State in a manner that ensures wagering is conducted by 
residents of the State who are verified to be 18 years of age or older. A bidder seeking 
award of a license to conduct advance deposit wagering shall comply with the requirements 
determined by the board. The board shall require that a proposal include a nonrefundable 
application fee of $1,000 and an agreement to pay the costs of the board for processing an 
application and performing background investigations, as described in this subchapter. The 
board shall ensure that the request for proposals clearly identifies the deadline for 
submission and all bid requirements. The board shall follow, as nearly as practicable, the 
provisions governing competitive bidding prescribed by Title 5, chapter 155, subchapter 1-
A and rules adopted pursuant to that subchapter.
Sec. 4.  8 MRSA §1071, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 499, §8, is amended to 
read:
3.  Contract required.  In order to be selected as the a winning bidder for the privilege 
to be licensed by the board to conduct advance deposit wagering, a person must agree to 
enter into a contract with the board that obligates the advance deposit wagering licensee to 
the proposals made in the bid submitted in accordance with this section.  The contract must 
include a framework of reasonable financial penalties for failure of the advance deposit 
wagering licensee to comply with the terms of the contract and rules of the board.  The 
licensee may not conduct advance deposit wagering prior to the execution of the contract 
required by this subsection.
Sec. 5.  8 MRSA §1071, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 499, §8, is amended to 
read:
4.  Application; investigation.  In order to be licensed by the board to conduct advance 
deposit wagering, a person that is selected as the a winning bidder in accordance with this 
subchapter must complete an application using forms developed by the board and comply 
with additional requests the board determines necessary to investigate the suitability of the 
a winning bidder to be issued a license.
SUMMARY
This bill increases from one to no more than 3 the number of persons the Department 
of Public Safety, Gambling Control Board may license through a competitive bidding 
process to conduct advance deposit wagering.