Online sports betting officially launched in Maryland on November 23, 2023, allowing residents in the Old Line State to bet on their favorite sports and teams from the comfort of their mobile phones.
Maryland may not boast a plethora of major sports teams like they do in California for example, but the state does possess a couple of high profile sides, notably the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL and Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles.
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Marylanders are very supportive of their own and passionate about their sports, and have been quick to take the opportunity presented by sports wagering to put their money where their hearts are!
The road to legalization was a very long one, with Maryland residents voting in favor of sports betting back in November 2021.
Governor Larry Hogan signed the sports betting bill, HB 940 into law in May 2021, with the first retail sportsbook opening at the end of that year.
At the moment, there are 10 legal sportsbooks in Maryland, with US heavyweights, FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars predictably amongst the licensed bookies in the state.
Other Maryland betting sites are BetMGM, Barstool, BetFred, Betrivers, Pointsbet, SuperBook, and Fanatics, the latest to join the party in June 2023.
Following its launch in late November 2022, mobile sports betting made an immediate impact in the state, pushing the total sports betting handle for that month to $219 million. Online sports betting accounted for $186 million, despite being live for barely one week.
A decent fraction of the wagers were from free promotional play, with Maryland sportsbooks being very aggressive with their bonuses during the launch week.
Up until now, there are still many Maryland sportsbooks promos available for residents in the state.
The sports betting handle in Maryland shot up to $497.1 million in December 2022, the first full month of mobile sports wagering in the state.
Things have cooled off in recent months, with Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency reporting a small decline in sports betting handles in the state through April and May.
However, with the new NBA and NFL seasons set to begin in the next few months, and more betting sites potentially launching in the state, things could well pick up again.
There are bound to be a lot more sportsbooks in Maryland in the coming months and years, with the state allowing 47 retail sportsbooks licenses and up to 60 licenses for online betting sites.
The legal betting age in Maryland is 21, while potential bettors must be physically located within the boundaries of the state.
Maryland permits wagering on all types of sports, with the exception of high school sports. Hence, bettors can place wagers on college sports without breaking any laws.
Maryland is one of over 30 American states in which sports betting has been legalized, following the ruling by the Supreme Court in 2018 to allow states make their own sports betting laws.
Prior to that ruling, sports betting had been banned in most American states via the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
It took over four years after PASPA’s demise for sport betting to take off in Maryland, but as the saying goes, it’s better late than never. After all, there are still quite a few US states that have not given sports wagering the green light.
It’s been an OK start for Maryland, and if it keeps up the early pace, the state could well be a major hub for sports betting in the country.
