Sports betting history in Maryland
While sports betting was banned by the federal government outside of Las Vegas until 2018, overruling the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. It was struck down in May of 2018 as part of the U.S Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
After the ruling in 2018 that made sports betting legal at a federal level, many states would quickly regulate sports betting within their own states including neighboring Delaware which became the first state to do so. It would take a while, however, for Maryland to join along as it took three years for the state to finally pass any legalization but would eventually do so in May of 2018 when then Maryland governor Larry Hogan signed HB 940. It would go into effect two months later.
This law allows sportsbooks to operate in a variety of ways from brick & motor locations, online, but also as being an extension of various different facilities such as M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens and Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
How sports betting has done since legalization:
In December of 2021, online sports betting was launched in the state of Maryland, allowing the Old Line State to join the movement of states legalizing sports betting including joining a large list of it’s regional counterparts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia to also legalize sports betting.
Over the first 14 months of legalized gambling it’s been widely successful. So much so that the state continues to approval sportsbook licenses with the expectation to have 10 sports betting apps live by the middle of March.
In January, the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission approved licenses for both SuperBook Sports and Crab Sports, already adding to a repertoire for the state that includes Caesars, FanDuel, PointsBet, DraftKings, Betfred, Barstool, betPark, and Fanatics Sportsbook. Another major sportsbook that users can use is BetMGM Maryland which is available now to place legal bets.
Additionally, in January Maryland sportsbooks took over $440 million in bets and saw a revenue of nearly $60 million in revenue. Over the 14 months of legal sports betting, the amount of total money bet and revenue has consistently grown and should continue to do so in the months ahead.
Legal implications:
In terms of legal implications, not much has generally changed. Maryland residents over the age of 21 are allowed to freely and legally bet using one of the state’s sportsbooks whether in person or online. As long as users are 21 one and over and are using the app within Maryland’s state lines there is no legal implications to be concerned about it as it all perfectly legal.
More sportsbooks to come?
Notably, when Maryland signed their gambling laws into effect in December of 2021, there was room for upwards of 40 sportsbooks licenses that could be given out in the state. With that, that means there is still plenty of opportunities remaining in the state for various sportsbooks to come in and open within the state. Since the start of the calendar year, four different sportsbooks have been either approved or have launched within the state in what could be the beginning of a very busy year in the sports betting industry .
Overall, sports betting in Maryland has been a great success since it’s launch and is only expected to continue to be a success in the years to come. With the four major North American sports leagues becoming more and more accepting of sports betting with each passing year, the hobby should only continue to build popularity not just in Maryland but across the United States as a whole.
