Maryland Sports Betting: Legal MD Sportsbooks, Apps & Laws

Yes. Both online and retail sports betting are legal in Maryland. The activity is overseen by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, usually shortened to the MLGCA. To place a legal bet you must be at least 21 years old and physically present in Maryland. You do not need to be a Maryland resident; sportsbooks use geolocation technology to confirm your location before accepting any wager.

Marylanders can bet on professional and college sports, the Olympics, motorsports and esports. The state imposes only a few restrictions, the most notable being a ban on proposition bets involving individual college athletes. Betting on high school sports, political elections and entertainment outcomes such as award shows is not permitted.

Offshore Sites Are Not Legal or Regulated in Maryland

Offshore sportsbooks are not licensed by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency and are not regulated under Maryland law. They typically operate under a foreign license, such as one issued in Curacao or the Comoros, which provides no protection under Maryland or United States law. The MLGCA draws a clear line between legal, state-licensed operators and illegal offshore sites, and it has publicly named offshore brands while issuing cease-and-desist letters to unregulated operators. You can read the agency’s own explanation here: Legal vs. Illegal Online Gaming.

The Risks of Betting With an Offshore Site

Choosing an unregulated offshore book carries real risks that simply do not exist at a licensed Maryland sportsbook. There is no consumer protection: if a dispute arises over a bet, a balance or a withdrawal, you have no recourse with a Maryland regulator. Funds are not guaranteed, since licensed Maryland operators must keep a minimum cash reserve of 500,000 dollars to ensure they can always pay winners, while offshore sites have no such requirement. Offshore books are not bound by Maryland’s responsible-gaming rules, their odds are often non-competitive, and sharing financial and personal information with sites operating outside U.S. oversight adds risk. Their availability can also change without warning.

For these reasons, this guide recommends sticking with the state-licensed sportsbooks listed above. The short reviews below are provided for information only.

BetMGM Sportsbook and Lounge at MGM National Harbor

Located in Oxon Hill just outside Washington, the BetMGM sportsbook and lounge is one of the most prominent retail venues in the region. It features a large video wall, multiple betting windows and self-service kiosks set within an upscale casino and dining property. It is the top choice for bettors on the Washington side of the state. Gov. Larry Hogan placed Maryland’s first-ever legal sports wager here on Dec. 9, 2021. Address: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill.

Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore

Caesars operates the retail book at Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, one of the first sportsbooks to open in the state in December 2021. The venue blends full casino gaming with betting windows, kiosks and large screens, and its location near M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park makes it a favorite for Ravens and Orioles fans before games. Address: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore.

FanDuel Sportsbook at Live! Casino and Hotel

FanDuel runs the retail sportsbook at Live! Casino and Hotel in Hanover, one of the busiest gaming destinations in Maryland and about a 20-minute drive from Baltimore. It offers a large betting area with a big video wall, multiple windows and kiosks, and its position along the Interstate 95 corridor gives it a high-energy, game-day feel that draws large crowds. Address: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover.

The Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino Perryville

Hollywood Casino in Perryville offers a retail sportsbook tied to its main casino floor, serving northeastern Maryland and travelers moving between Baltimore, Washington and the Eastern Shore. The book is more compact than the big-city venues but provides a full set of betting windows and kiosks. The casino is operated by PENN Entertainment. Address: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville.

TwinSpires Sportsbook at Ocean Downs Casino

Ocean Downs in Berlin pairs its TwinSpires sportsbook with a thoroughbred racing business, making it a strong option for bettors who like to combine horse racing with sports wagering. The atmosphere is more laid-back than the urban casinos, which appeals to visitors in the coastal and Eastern Shore areas. Address: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin.

Sports Bars, OTBs and Betting Lounges

Beyond the casinos, several smaller venues offer in-person betting. Long Shot’s in Frederick runs a betting lounge with kiosks, a betting window and a large wall of TVs. Greenmount Station in Hampstead is home to betPARX, which also operates at Greene Turtle sports bars in Canton and Towson. Bingo World near Baltimore offers BetRivers sports betting in a separate area from its bingo hall, about a 15-minute drive from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Maryland’s open, competitive market means licensed operators constantly compete on welcome offers and ongoing promotions. Bonuses change frequently and almost always carry terms such as minimum odds, a qualifying deposit and a short expiration window, typically seven days, on any bonus bets you receive. Always read the terms before opting in, and remember that bonus bets are non-withdrawable; only winnings derived from them can be cashed out. The snapshot below reflects offers seen in mid-2026 and illustrates the types of promotions available rather than serving as a permanent list.

Common Bonus Types Explained

Maryland sportsbooks rely on a handful of recurring promotion formats. A bet-and-get credits bonus bets after you place a qualifying wager, usually regardless of whether it wins. A first-bet offer (sometimes called a second-chance bet) refunds your opening wager in bonus bets if it loses, up to a stated cap. A deposit match adds a percentage of your first deposit as bonus funds, subject to a playthrough requirement. A profit boost increases the payout on qualifying bets, and a bet match like Fanatics’ FanCash mirrors your stake as a reward. Beyond welcome offers, the best operators run ongoing odds boosts, parlay insurance, loyalty programs and referral bonuses for existing customers.

Mobile is overwhelmingly the dominant way Marylanders bet, accounting for roughly 98 percent of all wagering activity in the state. Apps are free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play and offer the full range of bet types, live wagering, in-app streaming and promotions. Getting started takes a few minutes: choose a licensed sportsbook, register with your name, address and the last four digits of your Social Security number, verify your identity with a government-issued ID, confirm you are physically located in Maryland through the app’s geolocation check, then deposit funds and place your first bet. The leading Maryland apps regularly earn ratings near 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store.

Every licensed Maryland online sportsbook offers live, in-game betting, which lets you wager on a game after it has started with odds that update in real time. You can bet the moneyline, spread, total or props mid-game, react to momentum swings to grab a better number than the closing line, and often cash out a bet early before it settles. bet365 and DraftKings are widely regarded as having the strongest live-betting tools in the state, and several apps pair in-play wagering with live streaming or play-by-play trackers so you can follow the action and your active bets on one screen.

The road to legal sports betting in Maryland ran through a national court decision, a statewide vote and more than a year of regulatory work before the first bets were taken.

The starting point was May 2018, when the United States Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the federal law that had effectively banned sports betting outside Nevada. That ruling cleared the way for individual states to legalize the activity.

Because expanding commercial gaming in Maryland requires voter approval, the question went on the November 2020 ballot as Question 2. Voters approved it heavily on Nov. 3, 2020, which obligated the General Assembly to build a legal framework. House Bill 940 passed the legislature on April 12, 2021, and Gov. Larry Hogan signed it into law on May 18, 2021. The statute authorized both retail and mobile wagering and set the structure for up to 60 mobile licenses, 47 retail licenses and three reserved licenses.

Regulators moved first on brick-and-mortar betting. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission approved operational and licensing regulations in 2021, and those rules became fully effective in January 2022. SWARC began approving casinos for sports betting in November 2021, and the first retail sportsbooks opened on Dec. 9, 2021, when Gov. Hogan placed the ceremonial first wager at MGM National Harbor.

Online betting took longer because of the additional licensing steps for mobile operators. After SWARC accepted competitive applications in the fall of 2022 and the state cleared the first group of operators, seven online sportsbooks soft-launched on Nov. 21, 2022, and officially began taking mobile bets on Nov. 23, 2022. That launch group included FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars and BetRivers, among others. Additional brands such as Fanatics and ESPN BET followed in 2023, Bally Bet and LetsBetMD arrived in mid-2024, and bet365 launched in 2025.

In 2025 Maryland raised the tax rate on mobile sportsbooks. As part of Gov. Wes Moore’s budget, the mobile rate increased from 15 percent to 20 percent of gross revenue effective July 1, 2025, a smaller hike than the 30 percent originally proposed in January of that year. Retail operators continued to pay 15 percent.

The Governing Law and Official Resources

Sports betting was authorized by House Bill 940, signed in May 2021, and codified in the State Government Article of the Maryland Code at sections 9-1E-01 and following. The state publishes both the law and the regulations directly:

The Regulators

The MLGCA conducts background investigations of all applicants, enforces operational regulations, monitors revenue and state contributions, publishes monthly reports and maintains the Voluntary Exclusion Program. It also conducts routine audits and issues fines when operators fall out of line. SWARC is an independent seven-member body, separate from the MLGCA, that reviews applications and awards licenses. Three of its members are appointed by the governor, two by the Maryland Senate and two by the House of Delegates.

License Classes and Fees

Every license carries a five-year term, and all operators must maintain a minimum reserve of 500,000 dollars in cash or cash equivalents to guarantee winning payouts. The law also created a Small, Minority-owned, and Women-owned Business Sports Wagering Assistance Fund, supported partly by Class A application fees, to help smaller businesses enter the market.

Legal Age and Location

You must be 21 or older to bet on sports in Maryland, whether online or at a retail book, and you must be physically located within state lines when you place a wager. Online sportsbooks verify location with geolocation technology. By contrast, the legal age is 18 for pari-mutuel horse racing, bingo and the state lottery.

College Betting Rules

Betting on college sports is legal in Maryland, including games involving in-state programs such as the Maryland Terrapins, the Navy Midshipmen, the Towson Tigers and the UMBC Retrievers. Bettors can place straight bets, parlays, futures and team-based props on college events, and there are full markets on the NCAA Tournament. The single restriction is that sportsbooks may not offer proposition bets on individual college athletes. Notably, a 2026 pilot bill that would have blocked online betting access on college campuses (HB 46) was withdrawn.

What Is Not Legal in Maryland

Online casino gaming, known as iGaming, is not legal in Maryland. Efforts to legalize it have repeatedly stalled in the General Assembly, in part because expanding gaming requires a voter referendum, and polling has shown most Maryland voters oppose online casinos. Sweepstakes-style casinos face aggressive enforcement, with the MLGCA issuing numerous cease-and-desist letters that have pushed major operators out of the state. Prediction-market platforms such as Kalshi remain the subject of an active legal dispute between the company and Maryland regulators. And unlicensed offshore sportsbooks, while accessible from the state, are not legal or regulated.

Maryland has matured into an established mid-to-large betting market. Annual handle, meaning the total amount wagered, has climbed sharply every year since launch, surpassing 6.6 billion dollars in 2025. The state taxes operator revenue rather than handle, and most of that tax money flows to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education. A portion of mobile tax revenue goes to the General Fund, and unredeemed bonus prizes feed a dedicated problem-gambling fund.

The growth tells the story of a market that scaled fast after its December 2021 retail debut and November 2022 online launch, then settled into steady year-over-year gains. State tax collections jumped especially sharply between 2024 and 2025, driven both by a stronger operator hold and by the mobile tax rate rising from 15 percent to 20 percent in mid-2025. Online betting now makes up more than 98 percent of all wagering activity in the state. Maryland tracks its official figures on a fiscal-year basis running July through June, so calendar-year and fiscal-year totals will differ slightly.

Maryland bettors can wager on essentially every major sport. The most popular markets follow the state’s teams: the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Commanders, who actually play in Landover, Maryland, in the NFL; the Baltimore Orioles in baseball; the Washington Capitals in hockey; the Washington Wizards in basketball; D.C. United in soccer; and the Maryland Terrapins and Georgetown Hoyas in college sports. Sportsbooks offer moneylines, spreads, totals, parlays, futures, player props and same-game parlays across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football and basketball, soccer including the 2026 World Cup, golf, tennis, motorsports and esports.

Wagering activity in Maryland mirrors national trends. The list below ranks the most popular betting categories by handle: parlay and combination bets, pro basketball (NBA), pro football (NFL), tennis, pro baseball (MLB), soccer, college football, college basketball, ice hockey (NHL), and golf and motorsports.

Sports betting is far from the only regulated wagering option in the state. Daily fantasy sports are explicitly legal and available to players 21 and older. Pari-mutuel horse racing is a Maryland institution, anchored by the Preakness Stakes held each spring at Pimlico Race Course; bettors can wager at tracks, off-track betting facilities and through advance-deposit wagering apps. The state also operates six casinos and the Maryland Lottery. Online casino gaming, election betting and entertainment-outcome betting are not currently legal.

Maryland does not apply a flat tax to gambling winnings. Instead, your net winnings are added to your taxable income for the year. For any single win of 5,000 dollars or more, the state automatically withholds 9.5 percent for Maryland residents and 8.75 percent for nonresidents, in addition to federal withholding, which is typically 24 to 28 percent depending on whether you supply a Social Security number. You are still required to report smaller wins on your return even if nothing was withheld, and you may be able to deduct gambling losses up to the amount of your winnings if you itemize on your federal return. This page is not tax advice; consult a professional for your specific situation.

Experienced bettors often keep accounts at several books, and there are practical reasons to do so. Line shopping lets you take the best available price; the difference between -105 and -110 adds up over time. Different operators offer different markets, prop selections and live-betting options, and they grade some bets differently, so a wager refunded at one book may be settled at another. Holding multiple accounts also lets you claim more than one welcome bonus and compare interfaces before committing your bankroll.