Gambling legality in Maryland is somewhat of a back-and-forth story dating back to the 1700s when charitable lotteries first became popular. These lotteries were eventually banned but began the drama surrounding legislation and prohibition regarding any sort of gambling in the US state.
In the 1950s, the state was introduced to a little-known gambling machine called a slot, which exploded into popularity and earned the state the nickname ‘Little Vegas’. Unfortunately, this slot machine outbreak was short-lived and also ended up being made illegal.
There was a short resurgence of the lottery in 1973, but it wasn’t really until 2012 that the state saw the opening of its first casino, after the powers that be had noticed a drop in revenue because of residents traveling to neighboring states to gamble. Soon after that, the number of casinos increased to 5, another was opened more recently in 2017.
Follow this link to find out more about the legal gambling age in MD for casinos legalgamblingage.com
Gambling Law in Maryland
Famously, the gambling laws in Maryland used to be very loosely defined, which was demonstrated by two absurd examples when both a vending machine and a pinball machine were labeled as gambling devices. In the case of the pinball machine, this was because it gave out free plays, these free plays could not be redeemed for any monetary amount.
Luckily, that time in Maryland has now passed and now the state is far more gambler friendly.
Maryland is quite unique compared to most other US states, as it does not differentiate between players in illegal gambling venues and the owners/operators of these venues. Their penalties are also strict compared with other states, fines range from $200 to $1000 and prison sentences from 6 to 12 months if you violate any law within 12-102. Betting, wagering, and gambling.
The Lottery and Gaming Commission must approve any game before it can be considered legal. If you aren’t the most experienced of gamblers and would like to know more about what you should know when gambling, then check out this guide for new casino players.
Gambling Options Allowed in Maryland
Casino Games: Residents have 5 casino options, each offering a variety of table games and slots.
- Live Poker: Two of the casinos offer live poker. Home games, however not actually legal, are generally ignored as long as nobody is benefiting from the occasion and it doesn’t draw any attention for reasons like extremely high stake wagers. The State facilitated a $1 million poker competition in 2014, which featured on practically all the State press. Horse Racing Betting: This is mostly permitted dependent on the pari-mutuel system, live simulcast racing between states included:
- Lottery: Residents can purchase tickets for the State-run or the multi-state lottery that has greater prizes.
- Charitable Games: Raffles and bingo are controlled by particular organizations.
Online Gambling in Maryland
Given it is a relatively new trend in the gambling world, online gambling in Maryland doesn’t have any direct laws addressing it, but it is illegal for any online casinos to operate there. As you will find with many US states, the legislators have simply not yet had the opportunity to overlook this new trend that has grown at such a rapid rate.
Technically, when you read the gambling laws for Maryland and how it is worded, when playing online casino games from a mobile device, this could be perceived as illegal. Gambling with underage children, underage gambling, and problem gambling are all issues the government wants to address in its gambling framework.
Online poker is the same as above, so it could be seen as a risk to play online whilst in Maryland, but we must point out that no one up until this point has been charged or prosecuted for playing casino games online. It’s also worth mentioning that the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission has recently approved partnerships between sportsbooks and casinos, so a legal framework is on its way.
The Future of Gambling in Maryland
Maryland is the neighbor to two of the US’ three fully gambling-regulated states, so there is certainly faith that it can be another in the future, if not the next. It is safe to say that Maryland seems to be watching to see what other states decide to do about online gambling as well as the many other forms of gambling that are available today. The gambling laws in the United States are changing drastically all the time and there is plenty more to come, so if you are a gambler then try to keep up with all the latest casino and gambling news.
