A new poll conducted by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland shows that 53 percent of registered voters in Maryland are in favor of legalized sports betting.
Those voters will have to wait two years for the state to take advantage of last May’s repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. While the U.S. Supreme Court removed the federal ban on sports betting, each state must pass its own law to establish sports betting. In Maryland’s case that would require an amendment to the state constitution.
Maryland lawmakers failed to pass a bill this year to place a constitutional ballot on the November 6 election ballot. Therefore, the next opportunity to pass an amendment to legalize sports betting will be the November 2020 election.
The poll found 53 percent of registered voters are in favor of legal professional sports gambling, with 37 percent opposed, and 10 percent of voters having no opinion. Those with strong opinions on the issue were about evenly divided, with 26 percent strongly disapproving of legal sports betting, and 24 percent strongly approving.
Significant splits on sports betting were based on age and gender. Voters under 40 were most supportive, with about seven in 10 favoring sports betting, and men were more likely than women to favor legal sports gambling, 62 percent to 46 percent.
