Maryland Sports Betting Agency to Issue Online Licensees

Getting Maryland officials to launch mobile sports betting has seemed a never-ending task instead of an inevitable one. But the agency has taken a small step by announcing a date to award licenses.

Maryland Sports Betting Agency to Issue Online Licensees

And the winners are…

…not so fast, Marylanders. On October 19, the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) established November 21 as the date to award online sports betting licenses from among the ten applicants. Online betting will commence—not long afterwards.

“Marylanders can finally breathe a sigh of relief here because it seemed like it would never happen. We’re finally here,” Robert Linnehan, reporter and editor for XLMedia, told CBS News.

Last month SWARC agreed to rolling license approvals rather than wait until all licenses were awarded and ready to go at the same time.

Some Maryland bettors have mixed reviews of the pending online experience. The most annoying part of betting on sports is driving to a casino, Wesley Haines said. “It would be awesome to be able to stay at home and be able to do it.”

Other bettors say the opposite.

“Me personally, I like going in and placing a bet in person just because I like receiving the cash back and being able to put it back in my bank rather than using an online platform where they hold your money for a couple of days,” Joshua Fulton said.