The Maryland Legislature will not approve a bill this legislative session to legalize online casino games, iCasino bill sponsor Senator Ron Watson told the US Bets news site.
Watson’s bill would have moved the question of legalizing iCasino in front of state voters in 2024, as a referendum is needed to expand gaming in Maryland. Putting the question in front of voters in 2024 is still possible, and Watson is calling on the Maryland Lottery to complete a study on the subject to provide lawmakers enough information to effectively discuss iCasino efforts in the 2024 legislative session.
The failure in Maryland is indicative of a larger trend of other failed iCasino bills. In an investor note on DraftKings, Deutsche Bank senior analyst Carlo Santarelli said the legislative landscape is turning against online casinos.
“Efforts to pass sports betting are active and could result in some incremental states of size legalizing, but the prospects, when looked at individually, are not ideal for the online sports betting operators,” Santarelli wrote, according to CDC Gaming Reports. “Further, on the iCasino front, we see little to no real momentum for incremental state legalizations in 2023.”
