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Flanked by Maryland Lottery Director John Martin, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Maryland mobile sports betting will officially launch tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Seven operators will be live during the official launch and three additional operators should be up and running in the next few weeks, Hogan said.
Maryland online sports betting’s long road
Hogan’s announcement comes 553 days after he signed Maryland’s sports betting bill into law and 746 days after Maryland voters approved sports betting in the state. When the first online sports betting is logged tomorrow, it will be the longest delay between a bill being signed into law and an online bet being placed for any state.
“Marylanders have been waiting for this long enough,” Hogan said during his announcement.
Hogan placed the reason for the delay firmly at the feet of the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC). The commission, he said, became bogged down in bureaucratic pitfalls and likely delayed the online launch by a year.
His administration urged SWARC earlier in the year to take some common sense steps, including prioritizing awarding licenses for mobile operators and utilizing the same processes that expedited the launch of retail sports betting, to not miss out on any additional weeks of the lucrative fall football season.
“It was inexcusable and completely unacceptable to me, which is why earlier this year I aggressively pushed for clear and definitive action,” Hogan said.
Seven operators set to launch
Seven sports betting operators will launch tomorrow morning after being approved by SWARC for online sports betting licenses last week. The operators successfully completed yesterday’s “controlled demonstration” for the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA).
These seven operators have achieved all necessary regulatory requirements to launch.
- Barstool Sportsbook
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- PointsBet
- Rush Street Interactive
BetFanatics, BetFred, and Parx Interactive were also approved by SWARC for online sports betting licenses, but are not ready to launch.
Barstool Sportsbook will operate online sports betting for the Hollywood Casino in Perryville; BetFred will operate betting for OTB parlor Long Shots; BetMGM will operate betting for MGM National Harbor Casino; Caesars Sportsbook will operate betting for Horseshoe Baltimore Casino; DraftKings will operate betting for the Maryland State Fairgrounds; FanDuel will operate betting for the Maryland Live! casino; Parx Interactive will operate betting for Greenmount OTB; PointsBet will operate betting for Riverboat on the Potomac; and Rush Street Interactive will operate betting for Bingo World.
Fanatics and the Washington Commanders also made their sports betting partnership official after months of rumors. Fanatics will officially operate online sports betting for the NFL franchise, and will likely operate its retail betting services as well.
By the 2023 NFL season, Martin said he expects up to 21 online sports betting operators and between 15 to 20 retail operators to be live in the state.
Maryland sports betting revenue projections
Maryland sports betting revenue should provide a positive boost for the Old Line State. Revenue estimates shared from Spectrum Gaming have Maryland taking in nearly 123.3 million in gross gaming revenue during its first year of operation, which translates to $26.4 million in taxes.
By year five? Spectrum Gaming estimates the state will see a massive jump to $542.4 million in gross gaming revenue with $99.7 million in taxes.
Maryland sports betting tax revenue will be contributed to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education programs.
“Sports betting is helping us to keep these critical dollars in the state of Maryland and is providing us with another critical revenue source for Maryland schools,” Hogan said.
Robert is an expert on sports betting in the United States, specifically the legalization process and regulation surrounding the industry.
