Maryland moved one step closer to launching its sports betting business last week, as Governor Larry Hogan completed the naming of seven members of the panel empowered to decide on applications for sportsbooks.
The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) will be chaired by Thomas M. Brandt, the former chief financial officer of TeleCommunication Systems, an Annapolis wireless technology firm. Hogan named Brandt to head the commission, A certified public accountant, he serves on the board of trustees for the State Retirement and Pension Systems.
Hogan also named Bert Hash, Jr., the retired president and CEO of the Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore, to the sports betting panel. Hash spent more than 44 years in banking, including 15 at Equitable Bank and 12 at Provident Bank, according to the news site MarylandMatters.org.
Brandt and Hash will join Laura Gamble and Rosie Allen-Herring, Senate President Bill Ferguson’s selections for the panel, and Cassandra Stevenson and Frank Turner, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones’ selections..
- Randolph Marriner, the head of the Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, will also serve on the SWARC.
At the time he announced those appointments, Hogan also named John A. Martin to replace Marriner as director of the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, replacing Gordon Medenica, who is retiring. Martin has served as managing director and chief revenue officer for lottery agency since 2015.
The appointments are subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
