Questions Loom Over Lack Of MD Online Sportsbook Launch Date

Written By David Danzis on October 27, 2022
No Maryland Sports Betting Launch Date

Maryland online sports betting still does not have a start date, even as state gaming regulators continue progressing toward a launch before the year’s end.

No update on Maryland online sports betting launch timeline

A total of 10 Maryland online sportsbook license applicants were found qualified during Thursday’s Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission meeting.

Next up: the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission will consider the license requests on Nov. 21.

However, this most recent lottery commission meeting provided no new information about when online sports gambling in Maryland will begin.

State gaming officials previously indicated that online sportsbooks in Maryland could go live within a week or two of SWARC issuing final approvals next month. That sets the timetable for a launch in late November or early December.

Maryland considers 10 online sportsbooks

The 10 online sportsbooks deemed qualified by the MLGCC are:

  • Betfred
  • BetMGM
  • betPARX
  • BetRivers
  • Barstool
  • Caesars
  • DraftKings
  • Fanatics
  • FanDuel
  • PointsBet

Of those, DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland and FanDuel Sportsbook Maryland already have pre-launch sign-up offers available that you can sign up for now.

Absent any new findings by state gaming regulators between now and the November SWARC meeting, those 10 will likely become the first wave of online sportsbooks to launch. State sports gambling regulations ultimately permit up to 60 mobile licensees.

Marylanders have been waiting nearly two years to legally bet on sports via online or mobile app. Voters approved sports betting in November 2020. Then Gov. Larry Hogan signed a sports gambling law in late 2021.

Sports gamblers in the Old Line State must currently visit one of the seven licensed retail facilities to place a legal bet.

An eighth in-person sportsbook is soon to open in Maryland as well.

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David Danzis

David Danzis is a lead writer and analyst for Catena Media's network of Play sites, appearing on PlayNJ, PlayCA, PlayOhio and PlayMaryland. He is a New Jersey native and an honors graduate of Rutgers University. As a newspaper reporter for the New Jersey Herald and Press of Atlantic City, David earned statewide awards for his coverage of politics, government, education, sports, and business. After years of reporting on Atlantic City casinos, NJ online gambling and sports betting, his focus is now on emerging gaming markets. David lives in Mays Landing, NJ with his wife and two children. When not on the beach, golf course, or the slopes, David enjoys watching his beloved New York sports teams — Yankees, Jets, Rangers, and Knicks.

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