Bill would ban credit‑card payments for sports wagers; enforcement questions remain

A bill to prohibit the use of credit cards for sports wagering drew support for consumer protection concerns Friday but also a string of technical questions about enforcement in the digital payments era.

Rep. Mark Mallon told the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee LD 2080 is aimed at preventing excessive gambling debt by eliminating the ability to incur credit‑card debt when placing mobile sports wagers. "With credit cards the risk is exponentially larger," Mallon said, noting the National Council on Legal Gambling States recommends barring credit cards for online gambling.

Milton Champion, executive director of the Gambling Control Unit within the Department of Public Safety, testified in support with suggested amendments. Champion said Maine’s current licensing framework already requires sports wagering accounts and that payment processors commonly used by licensees include PayNearMe, PayPal, Paysafe and WorldPay. He warned that including certain digital wallets and prepaid mechanisms in an approved list could be difficult to regulate if those instruments are not provided by licensed entities.

Committee members pressed witnesses on enforcement mechanics — for example whether PayPal can disclose whether funds ultimately derive from a credit card without a criminal subpoena — and asked analysts to assemble a matrix of how other states regulate credit‑card use for wagering. Mallon and the department agreed to work with analysts and licensees to draft sponsor amendments for the work session.