The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission recently unanimously approved more than 200 pages of sportsbook regulations, allowing state officials and sportsbook operators to move forward. No kickoff date was set but interested parties are working toward the coming football season.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet and Barstool Sportsbook are among the dozen-plus brands already announced or soon will establish partnerships. For example, Caesars William Hill posted job listings at a future sportsbook at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore and FanDuel already built a sportsbook in Live! Casino Hotel Maryland.
Maryland will license up to 60 mobile sportsbooks, although it could take several years to reach that limit. Under the state’s 2021 sports betting law, its six casinos and three professional sports venues can apply for a license, and all are expected to do so. Three more licenses will be available to the owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico horseracing tracks, the state fairgrounds and an off-track betting facility.
The remaining 48 online licenses will be offered to minor league baseball parks, bars, restaurants and numerous other businesses. Observers said Maryland probably will be the first state to license a non-sports business to operate a sportsbook. Many of these businesses also can apply for one of 30 retail sportsbook licenses. If all of Maryland’s licenses are taken, it would have the most retail sportsbooks of any state outside Nevada.
The recently approved regulations now are subject to a 30-day public comment period, which hasn’t started yet. When that’s completed a review process will follow, then sportsbook applicants can apply for licenses. The gaming commission and the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission must approve the applications. This 2-level regulatory review process was partially created to encourage minority and women-owned business participation.
Among the regulations is the requirement that official league data be used on all bet types, not just individual prop wagers. Observers said this could be a significant financial hit for smaller sportsbook partners, even though all official league data fees must be “commercially reasonable” and are subject to regulatory approval. Maryland joins only a handful of states, including Illinois, Michigan and Tennessee, that require the use of league-provided data.
