Maryland Sports Betting Still On Track for Late Fall Launch
Attention sports and betting fans living in Maryland: the wait might be over soon! Maryland sports betting is currently on track to launch in late fall, in only a few months. Back in May, Maryland’s sports betting law was officially signed, and approval for licensing qualifications and application was granted in August by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC,) and now regulators are in the very early stages of the licensing process with 17 sports betting outlets.
Lottery and Gaming Control
Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Director John Martin said, “We’re looking at late fall, early winter. It is our intent to expedite the process as efficiently as we can to get us there.” Despite the fact that there is no set launch date yet, this is exciting and huge news for Maryland fans!
According to Action Network, professional sports stadiums are on the shortlist of businesses that are almost guaranteed retail sports betting licenses under the state’s newly-signed sports betting law. In fact, last week, the Baltimore Ravens already announced their official partnership with Caesars Sportsbook, which shows progress is on track for a not-too-far-off launch date for all of retail sports betting.
As of right now, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency and SWARC are working to complete background checks on all these outlets prior to awarding them their official, legal betting licenses, and organizations like stadiums and casinos are also in the midst of the licensing application process. The state currently plans to license up to 17 official retail licenses to high-profile organizations, 60 online licenses for betting sites, and up to 30 additional up-for-grabs retail licenses before everything has launched by late fall.
Launch Timeline
When this process ends in the next couple of months, officials hope to launch both online and in-person betting options while football season is still in full swing. Professional sports stadiums and casinos are expected to launch their betting outlets first, before the retail locations. However, there is no timeline or launch date has been set or released at this point in time.
State officials told the Action Network that they believe retail betting will earn approval before statewide mobile/online betting, but they were still unsure about a launch timeline for either of these two betting options.
According to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control website, there will be a public meeting for anyone interested in Maryland sports betting regulations on September 22, at 10am at Baltimore’s Montgomery Park Business Center. Check it out if you have additional questions or just want the “inside scoop” on what’s going on in this process.
While it may seem like this extensive process won’t be ending soon, Maryland sports fans have absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything seems to be moving forward, closer and closer towards an official launch in just a couple months. State officials hope to have at least retail betting launched by late fall, or at the latest, early winter. Get ready for it!
