Maryland officials are looking for sports betting to become available to state residents as soon as the World Series.
State Senator Craig J. Zucker, lead sponsor of that bill that legalized the market, told news site Elite Sports New York that in-person betting at Maryland casinos and horse racetracks “hopefully” should be up and running within the next few months and online and remote betting in time for Super Bowl LVI in February.
The legislation derived from Zucker’s bill provides for 60 remote licenses in two classes governing venues both within and outside the larger casinos, racetracks and professional sports teams.
It’s believed in-person betting for casinos and racetracks will be a quicker venture as they have existing infrastructure to support sportsbooks, have completed background checks and will have partnered with companies who have already gone through the process of creating in-person and online sportsbooks, Zucker said.
Maryland Live! has a current partnership with FanDuel, MGM National Harbor Casino is associated with its own national BetMGM sportsbook, Caesars Entertainment, which recently acquired William Hill, owns Horseshoe Baltimore Casino and Hollywood Casino in Perryville has an existing relationship with Penn National Gaming.
The online market, on the other hand, will take longer to implement, he suggested, because applicants will have to satisfy criteria issued by a newly formed Sports Wagering Application Review Commission and the state’s gaming regulator, Maryland Lottery and Gaming, to get licensed.
“I guess in a perfect world you might be able to see the casinos offering on-premises-only betting in time for the upcoming football season, if not maybe in time for the Super Bowl itself,” Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica told ESNY. “That is the best outcome. In total, the whole process as the bill requires is probably adding 12 to 24 months.”
