Online Sports Betting on the Verge of Launch in Maryland

• The Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission (SWARC) is currently reviewing applications, with sportsbooks free to launch once a decision has been made.
• Sports betting is likely to launch by early December, as the SWARC must release decisions on each applicant within 45 days.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Over a year after Governor Larry Hogan signed House Bill 940 (HB 940), Maryland’s regulators have stated that state-regulated online sports betting will launch by the end of this year.

HB 940 was signed by Governor Hogan on May 18th of 2021.

The Maryland Betting App Holdup

Based on Governor Hogan’s repeated public complaints and call outs, Maryland’s online sports betting hold up is nearly 100% the Maryland Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission’s (SWARC) fault.

Back in June the SWARC had announced that their online gambling rules were 95% complete, yet three months later no state-regulated online sportsbooks exist.

Recent estimates suggest that will change by early December, as SWARC is in the midst of accepting Class B facility licenses and mobile sports betting licenses. The application period began on Tuesday, September 6, and will end on Friday, October 21.

The Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission has 45 days to review applications. The commission announced that there will not be a singular launch date for the state’s mobile sports betting, with applicants free to launch as soon as they are approved.

That announcement was key, as it meant that sportsbooks could launch sooner than expected. The early launch meant sportsbooks could accept more bets during football season, which is when the sportsbooks and the state would make more money.

In the meantime legal sports betting in Maryland is available at brick-and-mortar locations throughout the Old Line State and at online sportsbooks that are governed internationally.

News tags: Larry Hogan | Maryland | Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission