March 28, 2024
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When Will Online Sports Betting Go Live in Maryland?

The residents of Maryland gave their consent to legalize sports betting in November 2020, as the majority voted in favor of regulating this popular type of entertainment. Since then, sports betting has been flourishing in MD, although it has yet to reach its full potential.

At the moment, there are legal retail options for wagering on sports, but online sportsbooks still haven’t opened their virtual doors. The good news is that they intend to do so very soon.

Here’s where MD stands regarding online wagering and what sportsbooks you can expect to operate in the state.

Where Does MD Sports Betting Legalization Stand?

After residents of Maryland approved sports betting via a referendum, the lawmakers had the task of coming up with a working legislative framework for this type of entertainment. After a couple of months, the governor signed the legislation into law on July 1.

The original plan was to make retail sports betting available before the 2021 NFL season, but the process took longer than anticipated. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission took its time to develop a detailed framework for retail sportsbooks to open their doors.

The first one that did so was the BetMGM Sportsbook, which became available on December 9, 2021. A day later, two other retail places opened in Live! Casino and Hotel and Horseshoe Casino. Ocean Downs Casino also opened a retail book a week after that, partnering with TwinSpires. Finally, Hollywood Casino entered the retail race with a sportsbook of its own, which started operating on December 23, 2021.

At the moment, all retail sportsbooks are doing well. All five reported a 32.5 million and $25.5 million in handle in January and February, respectively.

Next on the roadmap of sports betting legalization is the start of online sports betting operations.

When Will Online Sports Betting Come to MD?

Right now, there aren’t any exact dates related to the start of online sports betting in Maryland. The officials only stated that they expect it to launch by fall. Once again, it’s a race against time to commence the operations before the 2022 NFL starts, which is scheduled to begin on September 8.

The director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, John Martin, stated on February 10 that they needed to get this thing going before the start of the NFL season. He added that everybody that’s part of the sports betting industry knows football is the Holy Grail driving the mobile betting platforms.

Whether everything will be ready for the NFL remains to be seen. Fall officially starts on September 22, so the rough estimate suggests online sports betting won’t actually be available before the beginning of the NFL. Hopefully, MD bettors will still have an opportunity to place bets on the playoffs and the Super Bowl using their computers or mobile devices.

What Sportsbooks Will Be Available in MD?

Even though we’re still months away from starting online sports betting operations in the Old Line State, we already know which sportsbooks will offer their services. That’s because the retail casinos in the states have already partnered with some of them.

What matters is that the leading sportsbooks, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet, and Caesars will be available to bettors. Some online platforms might even come as “skins,” which is when licensed entities partner with a sportsbook or a sports team to offer a sports betting service.

These online sportsbooks typically give new customers valuable welcome bonuses that give bettors the chance to start their betting careers off in the black. For example, PointsBet’s promo code gives you access to two “risk-free” bets totaling $2,000.

In addition to the four popular sportsbooks we mentioned, we can expect other operators, such as FOX Bet, PointsBet, and Barstool Sports, to join the party. Some brands are still pending, so we’ll have to wait for the fall of 2022 and see which ones will be added to the group.

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