LANDSLIDE VOTE TO LEGALIZE SPORTS BETTING IN MARYLAND

Both the House and the Senate have voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing sports betting in Maryland. Online sports betting is due to be legalized in Maryland after a series of landslide votes. You can find a thorough documentation of this on www.online-gambling.com. 

On Tuesday 17th of March 2020, the state of Maryland’s House of Representatives approved the Senate bill by 129-3. The bill was to allow land-based and mobile sports betting through the state’s casinos and racetracks. On Wednesday 18th the Maryland Senate then unanimously voted in favor. However, due to the state’s constitution, changing the law to allow wagering on professional and college sports would require a referendum which is due to take place in November, providing the General Assembly approves this measure.

Once it receives gubernatorial assent, the House’s Committee has set the question for the upcoming referendum to be, “Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and event betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?”

Gambling Laws In Maryland

We are currently living in one of the best times to be a gambler not only in Maryland but in the US in general. In 2018 the US Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that prohibited sports betting in most states since the repeal it has been up to the individual states to decide their own sports gambling course. 14 states in the US have now made the move to legalize sports betting, several of these states are neighboring Maryland such as Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.

The state of Maryland has a mixed history regarding gambling, multiple times laws have been introduced to restrict gambling activities only to be repealed again. Currently, the state is very progressive, with six licensed bricks and mortar Casinos that host most casino-style games such as slots and table games, and four of those six offering poker rooms. Maryland also holds the honor of being one of the first states to legalize Daily Fantasy games way back in 2012. Bingo and lottery games are currently legal in the Old Line State as is pari-mutuel horse betting. 

The new bill is to allow both retail and online sports betting in all the state’s current gambling venues. This would mean granting nine sports gambling licenses, six would go to the state’s casinos, the state’s busiest horse tracks, Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, would share a license; one would go to the State Fairgrounds in Timonium, and one would go to the Washington Redskins stadium. In January Dan Snyder, owner of the Redskins, met with Maryland Lawmakers to discuss allowing sports betting either at the existing Redskins stadium, which requires renovation or at a brand new stadium built nearby. The Redskins currently play at the FedEx Field in Landover Maryland but the lease is due to expire in 2027.

The legislation applies to both professional and college sports however gambling on high school sports would not be allowed. Those with ‘exclusive information’ would not be allowed to wager including athletes, coaches, trainers, team owners or referees. 

Will the Sports Betting Pass the Referendum in Maryland?

Surviving the voter referendum is not a sure bet in Maryland. In February a poll of the state’s residents conducted by Goucher College in Baltimore showed that the public is very divided regarding its attitude towards the expansion of gambling. Of those surveyed 45% of people supported sports betting at casinos, race tracks or stadiums however 49% opposed it. The public narrowly supported the expansion of gambling to allow sports betting online with 47% in favor and 43% opposed. 

If sports betting is legalized it would help pay for education in Maryland. According to a state analysis, sports betting could raise about $20 million a year for education in the state. The Senate bill included a tax rate of 20% which is higher than some other states. Most of this tax revenue would go to the Education Trust Fund, which helps pay for public education. Far-reaching education proposals to improve schools in Maryland are expected to cost billions of dollars over the next decade.

If the enabling legislation is passed by voters in the November 2020 referendum it is very unlikely that sports betting in Maryland will become active until 2021 at the very earliest.