Can You Bet On Sports In Maryland

Legal sports betting is coming to Maryland after the governor recently signed a new bill into law. Maryland voters approved sports and events betting for the primary purpose of raising income for education by a margin of nearly 2-1 in November 2020. The referendum in Maryland will pave the way for both in-person and mobile sports betting across the state. Since then, state legislators have passed the bill into law, with Governor Larry Hogan making it official in May 2021.

After making the law official, there were still further changes to be made, however. The state legislators had to agree on the full sports betting regulations, and the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has to approve betting licenses. It’s expected that the first legal sports betting sites and retail locations will open up in late 2021.

Maryland Betting Licences

All sports betting services in Maryland will need to be approved and licensed by the state’s gambling commission. The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency is responsible for these licenses, and plenty of them are available. Once the first sportsbooks have launched, Maryland sports betting bonuses should be available to claim.

There are up to 40 prospective retail licenses available, divided into Class A and Class B categories. There will be ten Class A licenses distributed to the state’s existing casinos, horse racetrack, and professional sports clubs. The 30 Class B licenses will go to well-established institutions in the state, such as the Maryland State Fairgrounds and retail outlets interested in entering the sports betting market.

In addition to this, the three stadiums that house the state’s professional sports teams will each be granted a license. This means that the Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Orioles will be able to launch their own sports betting service.

A retail or mobile-only firm must pay an initial application fee and obtain a licensing bond when applying for a license. All sports betting operators in the state are also subject to a 15% revenue tax. The cost of obtaining a license will vary depending on the class of permit obtained, with the A-1 class being the most expensive, costing $8 million in total.

Is Online Betting Available In MD?

Retail sports betting will likely be one of the first ways to bet in the state, with land-based casinos already poised to accept bets. However, bettors in Maryland will soon be able to place bets online too. The state is currently approving licenses from major sports betting operators, and it’s expected that the first online betting sites will launch before 2022.

The following operators are all expected to arrive in Maryland over the coming months:

• BetMGM – Known for being a major Las Vegas casino, the BetMGM sports betting brand is now available across the US, and MD bettors will be able to sign up soon.
• Caesars – Caesars sportsbook offers a huge range of betting markets to choose from, and it has excellent bonuses for new users.
• FOX Bet – FOX Bet has been one of the major sites to establish itself in other states, and it provides a fun and simple mobile betting experience.
• DraftKings – So far, few betting operators have had as much success as DraftKings, with the operators now living in nearly every legal US state.