Maryland On Track To Launch Sports Betting In Fall

Maryland looks like they’ll be able to go live with their sports betting industry before the end of 2021.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission (MLGC) approved the rules and regulations for the sports wagering market in the state on Thursday.
After a 30-day public opinion window, operators can begin to apply for licensure to open a sportsbook in the Free State.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission (MLGC) met on Thursday where they approved the final rules and regulations for the Maryland sports betting industry. This means operators can move forward with their plans to open sportsbooks in the state.

Both retail and mobile sportsbooks will be able to launch in Maryland for what many are hoping to be as soon as possible. It is believed that online and mobile sports wagering platforms will be able to roll out for almost the entirety of the 2021 NFL season.

NFL betting is the prime time of year for the sports wagering industry as football is the most gambled on sport in the nation.

What Happens Now?

Marylanders will be given a 30-day window for comment and opinions on what looks to be the finalized structure for the Maryland sports betting industry. This window should be opening presently. Once those 30 days end, the MLGC will start to look at operator applications.

So far, it’s been implied that top sportsbooks like BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet are already in the process of trying to open up their platforms in Maryland. A total of 60 mobile sportsbooks will be seen in the state when the market is running at full capacity.

There will be land-based locations at professional stadiums and gaming facilities statewide as well as 30 licenses available for small businesses.

The MLGC will take on the role of ensuring that every applicant has met the requirements to open a regulated sports betting operation in Maryland. Then the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) will be the actual group that issues official licenses to operate.

NFL Sports Betting More Than A Possibility

SWARC should see the easy part of the process in licensing operators for sports betting in Maryland. It is the MLGC that will need to do background checks and make sure everything is correct for a potential sportsbook to become licensed before submitting the application to SWARC.

Per state law, Maryland requires that official league data be used for every wager through every sports betting platform in the Free State. There is no fee listed within the current rules and regulations for this as they’re currently written. With that in mind, extra costs may discourage those interested in opening a sportsbook in Maryland from doing so.

However, at the end of the day, given this timeline, it looks as though Marylanders will begin to see local sportsbooks go live right in the middle of the 2021 NFL season.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.