Maryland May Issue Up To Five Sportsbook Licenses Thursday

by | Nov 2, 2021 1:30 pm | Legal

Maryland May Issue Up To Five Sportsbook Licenses Thursday

Maryland Sports Betting

  • Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission will review five retail sports betting license applications at a meeting on Thursday.
  • Maryland legalized sports betting much earlier this year, but the state has struggled to launch with a complex licensing system and red-tape issues.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Retail sportsbooks could be one step closer to launching in Maryland on Thursday, as the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission will be reviewing five applications with the option to grant them licenses to provide retail sports betting in the state.

Each of the five potential licensees are commercial casinos, including: Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, Live! Casino Hotel Maryland, MGM National Harbor, Hollywood Casino Perryville, and Ocean Downs Casino.

The sixth casino in the state, Rock Gap Casino Resort, is also eligible to receive a license, though they are not included in Thursday’s meeting.

The meeting, rescheduled from October 14, will finally get the ball rolling for legal sports betting in Maryland after the gambling hobby was legalized in May.

If the committee grants any licenses, the applicant must still pass final testing and receive certification – a process that could take several weeks.

Assuming at least one of the five potential licensees receive the nod from the committee, retail Maryland sportsbooks could launch by the end of November in Maryland.

While there is certainly momentum behind the land-based sportsbooks, the online sector of the industry is lagging behind considerably: officials are eyeing the second half of 2022 for that launch.

HB 940, stipulated that up to 60 mobile licenses and 17 land-based sportsbook licenses can be issued by the SWARC, though the committee has been slow to issue any licensing.

For comparison, Arizona and Connecticut both legalized sports betting in the spring of 2021, like Maryland; however, both Arizona and Connecticut have launched mobile and retail sports betting in their states.

After Thursday’s meeting, sports bettors of Maryland will have a much clearer picture of the timeline of the launch of MD legal sports betting.

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