Maryland’s Retail And N.Y.’s Mobile Sportsbooks Primed To Launch

Both Maryland and New York are awaiting launches of sportsbooks in their states, with Maryland awaiting the launch of retail sportsbooks and New York awaiting their mobile books.

New York is on schedule to launch its mobile sportsbooks before the Super Bowl as the New York State Register released the official rules and regulatory framework.
While Maryland’s retail sportsbooks are on schedule to launch by Jan. 2022, Lottery and Gaming Control Director John Martin says mobile sportsbooks are at least a year away.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Sports bettors in two states are eagerly awaiting the imminent launch of their state’s sportsbooks: New York and Maryland.

New York Register Releases Official Rules – Launch Still On Schedule

New York is one step closer to launching their mobile sports betting industry, as the New York State Register has released the official set of rules and a regulatory framework needed for launch, a major step forward for the industry. The official release of these guidelines makes it much more likely that the state’s mobile sportsbooks will launch before this season’s Super Bowl.

According to the guidelines, nine sportsbook operators will be granted approval to operate legal sports betting services in New York. Each of those nine licenses has already been issued.

Awaiting the launch of the NY online sportsbooks, the New York State Gaming Commission voted to license eight betting providers and nine operators earlier this month.

The guidelines also lay out a few hurdles that must be cleared before operators are cleared for launch. The most notable of these is a requirement for the servers which are being used for mobile sports betting operations to be physically located inside of one of New York’s four commercial casinos that offer in-person sports wagering.

Maryland Sportsbook Launch: Retail Around The Corner, Mobile Over The Horizon

Awaiting the Maryland sportsbook launch is a bit more eager for gamblers than New York, as New York already hosts a land-based sports betting industry. Maryland, on the other hand, has not launched any form of sports betting yet, meaning the launch of their retail sportsbooks will be the first available sportsbooks.

The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (commonly known as SWARC) awarded the first five sports betting licenses earlier in November. John Martin, director of the Maryland Lottery And Gaming Control Commission, has set January 1, 2022, as the goal launch date for Maryland’s retail sportsbooks. The SWARC’s approval of the first batch of licensees makes sticking to that timeline much more likely.

However, there is a fair bit of time for the launch of mobile sports betting in Maryland. Martin said that the launch of the mobile portion will likely come no sooner than a year after the launch of Maryland’s retail sportsbooks.

The SWARC has not yet established guidelines or regulations for online sports betting, though it was legalized through HB 940.

Cezar Froelich – partner at the SWARC’s legal counsel, Taft Stettinius & Hollister – says that the commission is working on a comprehensive plan to “deploy the mobile and Class B licenses,” but the official launch would likely take much more time.

Once the plan for the launch of Maryland’s mobile sports betting operators is complete, a more accurate timeline regarding the launch of the mobile legal sports betting industry will be available; until then, however, Maryland sports bettors will be able to take advantage of the upcoming launch of the state’s retail sportsbooks.

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Jerad Paparella

Jerad has been a welcomed addition to the LegalSportsBetting.com writing team. Covering topics regarding the expansion of sports betting in the US, Jerad focuses on legislative efforts, bill signings and other methods for sports betting legalization. Finishing his education as a college baseball player, Jerad has first-hand knowledge of competitive sports, paired with years of personal sports betting as well. As a political science major at the University of Central Florida, Jerad covers the political, legal, and legislative aspects of sports gambling without any issues.