Maryland will be the next state in which sports betting – both online and at retail locations – becomes available. The state held a referendum on the regulation of sports betting last November, and the voters were in favor – Maryland’s betting bill was signed into law this spring, hoping for the first operators to begin working by the time the NFL season starts. Now, the state’s regulator has approved 17 retail locations where operators can begin to work – and two race tracks are among them.
The locations
Before online horse racing betting becomes available, Maryland locals will have to make do with retail locations where they’ll be able to place their bets on sporting events. The list of venues approved to run betting operations, approved by the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission in an August meeting, include a series of casinos and resorts, the Maryland State Fairgrounds, the Jockey Bar and Grill, the Riverboat on the Potomac, as well as Laurel Park Race Track and the Pimlico Race Track. And all the locations named in the state’s sports betting legislation will be able to apply for online sports betting licenses in the future. Also, NHL, NBA, and MLS franchises that lease a stadium in the state will be able to apply for a betting license.
The operators
Maryland’s sports betting market is starting to take shape with operators partnering up – or buying up – local gambling companies.
Barstool Sportsbook, run by Penn National Gaming, acquired Hollywood Casino (one of the locations named in the state’s betting legislation) last December. Horseshoe Casino is already owned by Caesars, and MGM National Harbor is, of course, owned by MGM Resorts International that runs a number of outlets in Nevada, New Jersey, and abroad. PointsBet New Jersey partnered up, this June, with Riverboat on the Potomac, a licensed satellite simulcast facility for horseracing.
Applications to open later
Maryland still has 23 unnamed retail sports betting licenses up for grabs that the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission plans to open for applications later in the year. At the same time, the MLGC plans to accept applications for 60 online betting licenses and further retail locations. The state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission still has to establish the rules for evaluating applications before the state can award any further licenses. As expected, the SWARC will give priority to minority- or women-owned businesses in the area.
If all goes as planned, regulated sports betting may become a thing in Maryland in “late fall, early winter”, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency director John Martin told the press. “It is our intent to expedite the process as efficiently as we can to get us there. We’re still very much pushing for football season”.