An Act to Protect Consumers by Prohibiting the Use of Credit
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2080
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: MALON
Amends: 8 MRSA §1202, 8 MRSA §1203, 8 MRSA §1220

Legislative Document
No. 2080
H.P. 1395
House of Representatives, January 7, 2026
An Act to Protect Consumers by Prohibiting the Use of Credit 
Cards in Sports Wagering
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MALON of Biddeford.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  8 MRSA §1202, sub-§4-A is enacted to read:
4-A.  Digital wallet.  "Digital wallet" means any digital or electronic technology that 
stores a person's financial information and allows that person to purchase goods and 
services. 
Sec. 2.  8 MRSA §1203, sub-§2, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 681, Pt. J, §6, is 
amended to read:
C.  The methods of operation of sports wagering, including but not limited to the 
permitted systems and methods of wagers; the use of credit and checks by persons 
making wagers, except that a person may not make a wager using a credit card; the 
types of wagering receipts that may be used; the method of issuing receipts; the 
prevention of sports wagering on prohibited sports events; the protection of patrons 
placing wagers; and the promotion of social responsibility and responsible gaming and 
display of information on resources for problem gambling at a facility operator's 
premises or on any mobile application or digital platform used to place wagers;
Sec. 3.  8 MRSA §1203, sub-§2, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 681, Pt. J, §6, is 
amended to read:
F.  Minimum design and security requirements for the physical premises of facility 
operators in which sports wagering is conducted, including but not limited to minimum 
requirements for the acceptance of wagers at a self-serve kiosk located on the premises 
and minimum required methods for verifying the identity and age of a person who 
places a wager with a facility operator, for verifying that the person making a wager is 
not prohibited from making a wager under section 1213, for ensuring that a person does 
not use a credit card to make a wager and for requiring the refund of any wager 
determined to have been placed by a person prohibited from making a wager under 
section 1213;
Sec. 4.  8 MRSA §1203, sub-§2, ¶G, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 681, Pt. J, §6, is 
amended to read:
G.  Minimum design and security requirements for mobile applications and digital 
platforms for the acceptance of wagers by mobile operators, including required 
methods for verifying the age and identity of a person who places a wager with a mobile 
operator, for verifying that the person making the wager is physically located in the 
State and is not prohibited from making a wager under section 1213, for ensuring that 
a person does not use a credit card to make a wager and for requiring the refund of any 
wager determined to have been placed by a person prohibited from making a wager 
under section 1213;
Sec. 5.  8 MRSA §1220 is enacted to read:
§1220.  Methods of payment for wagers
An operator may accept payment for a wager using the following methods:
1.  Online and mobile payment systems.  Online and mobile payment systems that 
support online money transfers;
2.  Debit cards.  Debit cards;
3.  Digital wallets.  Digital wallets when the provider of the digital wallet provides 
assurance that a credit card has not been used to deposit funds into the digital wallet;
4.  Prepaid cards.  Prepaid cards not purchased with credit cards;
5.  Bank wires.  Bank wires;
6.  Cash.  Cash; and
7.  Other method approved by director.  Any other method approved by the director.
An operator may not accept payment for a wager by use of a credit card.
SUMMARY
This bill specifies the methods of payment that may be used to make a sports wager 
and prohibits the use of a credit card to pay for a sports wager.