Maryland Gov. Moore Signs Mobile Sports Betting Tax Hike Into Law
Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a bill May 20 that will bring a higher percentage of online sports betting revenues to the state. Under the bill, Maryland increased the tax rate on sports betting gross gaming revenue from 15 percent to 20 percent.
With the tax hike, Maryland joins Illinois and Ohio among states that have approved tax increases since legalizing the activity. Filed as House Bill 352, Moore signed the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 into law this week.
A portion of the tax proceeds, specifically 5 percent from an operator’s mobile sports wagering GGR, will now be directed into the state’s general fund. The remaining amounts will fund initiatives associated with education. The tax rate on retail sports betting will remain at 15 percent. Since December 2021, more than $160 million in legal sports wagering tax revenue has gone to the state’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund.
Sportsbook operators could have been hit harder. At first, Moore’s administration pushed for a doubling of the tax from 15 percent to 30 percent. Instead, the House Ways and Means Committee passed an amended bill by a vote of 13-5. Last year, Ohio and Illinois approved tax rate hikes on sports betting revenue. At present, Ohio is considering another tax increase.
During the current legislative session, legislators in North Carolina and Louisiana have also held debate on lifting their respective rates. In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law that will eliminate deductions on sportsbook promotions across the state. Previously, operators could deduct 2.25 percent of the value of promotional non-cash wagers placed by bettors. The deduction will sunset on July 1, 2026.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 5 Years For Running Sports Betting Ponzi Scheme
An Ohio judge sentenced a Las Vegas man to 65 months in prison on May 21 in connection with running a sports betting Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of millions of dollars.
Matthew Turnipseede learned his fate months after pleading guilty to four counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Turnipseede operated a scheme that promised investors double-digit profits through a variety of sports wagering businesses.
The defendant ran multiple sports betting companies, namely Moneyline Analytics and Edgewize, LLC. Turnipseede, according to prosecutors, enticed investors with false promises that his proprietary betting algorithm could generate returns in excess of 10 percent. Turnipseede was indicted in 2022 on 13 counts of defrauding 72 investors of more than $8.5 million.
The defendant’s claims were persuasive enough to convince a mathematician and author of multiple academic papers on sports wagering to join his venture. According to court filings, Turnipseede also deceived a 72-year-old female investor, who is currently battling cancer. The unnamed woman, who had retired in 2021, wrote in a victim impact statement that she now needs to return to work because of the lost funds. Prosecutors later determined that Turnipseede bilked investors out of $7.4 million, down about $1.1 million from the 2022 indictment.
According to the indictment, Turnipseede used investor funds to pay for personal expenses, including family vacations to Disneyland and Hawaii, spa treatments and lease payments on multiple vehicles. The court also required Turnipseede to pay restitution of $4.7 million. Turnipseede is scheduled to surrender to federal authorities within 90 days from the date of his sentencing.
Tush Push Avoids Ban, Lions Table Playoff Rule Change
Heading into this week’s NFL Owners’ Meetings in Minneapolis, the future of the “tush push” appeared on shaky ground.
Needing 24 votes to permanently ban the short-yard, scrum-like play, a contingent of league owners were poised to pass the rule change at the May 21 meeting. The proposal had garnered considerable media attention throughout the off-season but the effort fell just short of the requisite votes, falling by a 22-10 margin, ESPN reported.
Contending that the play is responsible for player-safety issues, the Packers petitioned the NFL to penalize teams for running the push in short-yardage situations. Armed with one of the most prodigious offensive lines in recent memory, the Philadelphia Eagles have executed the push to near perfection.
According to ESPN research, Philadelphia and Buffalo ran the play 163 times over the past three seasons. The amount is more than the rest of the NFL combined. When the two teams ran the push, they converted on a first down or a touchdown at a rate of 87 percent, ESPN found. Despite the outcome, the Eagles’ odds to repeat as Super Bowl champions remained unchanged on Wednesday at +650.
Also at the meetings, the Lions withdrew a proposal that sought to re-seed playoff teams by record. At the moment, division champions receive a home game in the Wild Card round. Under the proposal, the Vikings (14-3) would have opened the 2024 playoffs at home despite finishing second in the NFC North. The Lions pulled the proposal due to a lack of support.
