The launch of online sports betting in Maryland could happen in time to allow residents of the Old Line State to legally wager while their Thanksgiving turkeys cook, as regulators are accelerating their efforts to get mobile operators up and running.
Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) announced Monday that it will consider awarding licenses for online sports betting sites at a meeting on November 16, rather than November 21 as had previously been expected.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency then said that, pending the award of any licenses on Wednesday, the launch of mobile sports betting in Maryland could happen in time for Thanksgiving, which is November 24.
Once SWARC has awarded licenses, Maryland Lottery and Gaming still has to issue the permits, which will happen after applicants complete all the necessary operational requirements, the regulator said.
However, Maryland Lottery and Gaming also said that it will pick out an "initial" start date once SWARC awards licenses and that businesses that have been awarded licenses by SWARC and checked all other boxes can start launching then. Other books could launch in the days and weeks that follow as they obtain their approvals.
“Our staff has been in continuous contact with these mobile sports wagering businesses, and has already guided them through many of the necessary steps,” Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin said in a press release. “The last hurdle is for them to have controlled demonstrations, and SWARC’s awards of licenses on Wednesday would clear the way for that to happen.”
Slowly, steadily, finally
Monday’s news sets the stage for a much swifter launch of online sports betting in Maryland than had been previously envisioned, as regulators were contemplating a start in later November or early December. Bringing the launch forward will allow bettors more time to legally wager on the National Football League’s super-popular regular season, and the state to realize more tax revenue from that NFL-related wagering.
The accelerated timeline could give a win as well to outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan, who had pushed SWARC to get online sports betting started in time for the NFL season. Although in-person wagering has been ongoing at brick-and-mortar facilities in Maryland since December 2021, the launch of mobile wagering will also mean that some voters will finally get access to another authorized channel after a majority approved legal sports betting in a 2020 referendum.
The SWARC will consider awarding licenses to 10 entities at its Wednesday meeting. Those applicants can then use an operator partner to run their mobile-wagering businesses when they get their licenses.
As an example, the Riverboat on the Potomac off-track betting facility is in line to receive its mobile sports betting license on Wednesday, and PointsBet is in line to actually conduct online wagering on behalf of the Riverboat. PointsBet already runs the Riverboat's retail sportsbook.
Some companies are proposing to be both mobile sports betting licensee and operator, such as DraftKings. The 10 applicants before the SWARC, and the operator partners they are proposing to work with, are:
- Arundel Amusements/Bingo World (BetRivers)
- BetMGM Maryland Sports LLC (BetMGM)
- Crown MD Online Gaming LLC (DraftKings)
- CZR Maryland Mobile Opportunity LLC/Horseshoe Casino Baltimore (Caesars Sportsbook)
- Greenmount OTB LLC (betPARX)
- Long Shot’s LLC (Betfred)
- Maryland Stadium Sub LLC/Washington Commanders
- PENN Maryland OSB LLC/Hollywood Casino Perryville (Barstool Sportsbook)
- PPE Maryland Mobile LLC/Live! Casino and Hotel (FanDuel)
- Riverboat on the Potomac (PointsBet)
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission found those 10 entities and their operating partners qualified to hold mobile sports betting licenses late last month.
There were, however, 21 applications for mobile sports betting licenses received by the SWARC before its deadline on October 21, which suggests room for even more operators. The state’s sports-betting law allows for up to 60 mobile licenses to be awarded, in addition to 17 permits for brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
“Our focus for this meeting [on November 21] will be the mobile applicants who have been qualified by MLGCC,” SWARC Chair Tom Brandt said in a press release. “We will have additional award consideration meetings as SWARC and our advisors continue to review applications, and our next scheduled meeting is December 14. Mobile wagering will account for the bulk of the revenue from sports wagering, and we’re eager to enable Maryland to enter that market.”
