Maryland Sports Betting Is Off And Running

Legal Maryland sports betting has finally launched, and it should become a massive market. Find out what sportsbooks are live and others that might be coming.

Maryland Sports Betting Is Off And Running

It was a long road to legal sports betting in the state of Maryland, but the industry is finally off and running. Voters in the state legalized sports betting all the way back in 2020, but it wasn’t until this month that online sportsbooks were finally able to launch.

Maryland bettors have actually had retail sports betting options for months, but that is not the preferred method for sports bettors in the United States. The state of Maryland was not seeing a ton of action at retail sportsbooks either, and the state was needing the mobile sportsbooks to launch to bring in some tax revenue.

Online sportsbooks in Maryland are officially live as they were able to launch on the day before Thanksgiving. Mobile operators were actually able to accept bets two days earlier as well, but the sportsbooks could only be live for a few hours before they had to shut down again.

Both online and retail wagering are now available in Maryland, and there are seven online sportsbooks that are approved to offer betting. The Maryland Lottery will be regulating the industry, but there was another group that was involved in the licensing process as well.

You won’t see Maryland sports betting as one of the biggest markets in the United States, but it is one that could have plenty of growth. The Maryland Lottery still has a number of licenses left to hand out, and some operators will be going live as early as January 2023.

Huge Bonuses Available

The state of Maryland has been able to attract some of the biggest sports betting operators in the industry, and that has also created some massive promotions and bonuses for new customers. This is nothing new to the sports betting industry, and it will ultimately hurt the overall figures that are reported when the first full month is over.

BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are all live in the state of Maryland and they have massive welcome bonuses for new customers. Those welcome bonuses are going to stay in place at those operators, but the overall amount of customers that take advantage of the offers will diminish.

Battle For the Commanders

Now that online sports betting is officially available in the state of Maryland, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Washington Commanders. That team is rumored to be for sale, and sports betting could be a part of the conversation.

The state of Virginia was also thinking about the Commanders when it legalized its sports betting industry, as it wants the team to be able to offer retail betting on-site at a new stadium. Maryland would gladly welcome the same type of thing, but it currently hasn’t offered a potential license for the team.

Professional sports teams help to drive the sports betting industry, and the Commanders would push both retail and online sports betting in Maryland if it was to move to a permanent location in the state.