The state of Maryland is soon set to start accepting online wagers. This necessitated by the successful election held in 2020 which saw Maryland residents agree to the legalisation of online sports betting in the state. Though sports betting is now legal in Maryland, punters cannot as of yet start placing bets as there are some modalities that are still in the process of finessing. In light of this, this article aims as revealing all the key things surrounding the pending official launch of online sports betting in the state.
Laws Relating to Online Sports Betting in Maryland
The genesis of online sports betting in the state of Maryland can be traced all the way back to the landmark ruling passed by the US Supreme Court in 2018. The ruling lifted the blanket ban on all forms of online gambling activities thus inadvertently legalising online sports betting on a federal level. After the ruling, authorities in the state of Maryland started debating about online sports betting at state level. The decision they reached was to give all residents of Maryland the opportunity to air out their voice on the issue regarding the legalisation of online sports betting. The end result was that an election was held late in 2020 and an overwhelming majority voted in favour of legalisation. Afterwards, the state started to take steps to operationalise online sports betting in Maryland. By July 2021, a 200+ page regulations handbook had already been completed thus making the official launch of online sports betting in the state an imminent thing.
Current State of Online Sports Betting in Maryland
At the present moment, online sports betting in Maryland is legal. However, it hasn’t been operationalised as yet as the authorities are still finessing some modalities as they aim at launching online sports betting before the end of the regular NFL season. No official date has been given as yet with regards to the official launch date but suggestions are that Maryland punters by fall will be able to start placing their online bets.
Frontrunner Sportsbooks Looking to Go Live in Maryland
The state of Maryland created the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) to oversee the entire licensing process. SWARC has already announced that its aiming to award 60 mobile betting licenses. It has warned however that the licensing process will be done in a phased approach so it may take several years until all the 60 licenses are awarded. Though this is the case, its expected that all the big guns will commence operations in Maryland as soon as the go-ahead is given to launch online sports betting in the state. Some of the big guns that have already received operating licenses include BetMGM, PointsBet, FanDuel and DraftKings.
Top Retail Casinos in Maryland
- Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
- MGM National Harbour
- Hollywood Casino Perryville
- Oceans Down Casino
- Rocky Gap Casino Resort
Top NFL Sports Teams in Maryland
The state of Maryland is blessed to have two NFL teams. Sports punters therefore ought to note that once online sports betting goes live in the state, they will be able to start backing these two Maryland NFL teams that is, the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and the Washington Football Team in Prince George’s County.