Up until 2020, Maryland sports betting was banned - both online and offline. Recently, however, a new bill entered the works, and the state will soon allow residents to participate in Maryland sports betting at licensed facilities. The Current Online Sports Betting Situation in Maryland As we mentioned before, right now you can’t bet on sports in Maryland right now, but you will be able to soon. That doesn’t mean the state is opposed to traditional gambling, however. Marylanders wanting to engage in sports betting will have to wait even though they voted to legalize. Maryland has not yet enacted legislation to legalize online poker or casino games and therefore there are no legally sanctioned casino or poker sites in operation. There are no active measures to change that, but state lawmakers have considered the idea fairly recently.

Gambling laws in Maryland allow multiple forms of regulated betting entertainment to take place, including casino and poker gambling, pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, a state lottery, charitable gaming, and daily fantasy sports contests.

State lawmakers and the state’s citizens are clearly open to the development of a thriving gambling industry within their respective territory. The state’s willingness to regulating daily fantasy sports contests suggests openness towards sports-related wagering.

This page will focus specifically on how online sports betting figures into the gambling market in Maryland. We will discuss the gambling laws in Little America and their relevance to sportsbook gambling. We will also discuss relevant US federal laws and the role they play in the governing of sports betting across the nation. Legal online sports betting is available to Maryland gamblers if you know where to look and what legalities you must be mindful of.

Selectively and thoughtfully choosing your online bookmaker destination will be a vital factor in determining what is legal vs illegal when betting on sports. This guide will assist you in making an informed decision by systematically breaking down relevant elements through comprehensive explanations about the pertinent legal landscape of Maryland’s betting entertainment

Betonline Sportsbook welcomes customers from the US in general, including those from Maryland. This sportsbook also accepts international players. New players are offered a nice 50% match bonus up to $1,000 on their first deposit. Returning players are entitled to a 25% match bonus on all deposits into their account for as long as they remain a customer at Betonline. They cover all the major events, including some interesting. This brand operates with very high standards and their 20+ years in the business shines through their secure, high quality and legally sanctioned betting environment that includes live betting and a sophisticated mobile betting app. We can easily recommend them as the premium options for sports fans in Maryland.

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Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Maryland?

Would we sound wishy washy if we said yes and no? Maybe so, but that actually is the correct response. Sports betting is both legal and illegal in Maryland, depending on where you are placing your bets. State gambling laws and statutes don’t address online gambling specifically with the exception of DFS. This means that it is not legal to own or operate any type of online gambling site within the borders of Maryland, but it is permitted to participate in daily fantasy sports contests through online businesses regulated to provide this type of service to residents of the state. To be perfectly honest, the fact that Maryland has not legalized any type of online gambling as of yet is not the reason you won’t find any online bookmakers licensed by the state.

Due to provisions imposed by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, Maryland was not allowed to enact sports betting laws from 1992-2018. Neighboring state Delaware was one of the four states exempted from PASPA, but sadly only offered extremely limited sports-related betting options. Maryland currently has a domestic sports betting bill awaiting approval from state legislatures but until it passes, offshore online sports betting is Maryland's only option.

The Federal Wire Act outlaws the operation of any type of US-based online sports betting across state lines. USA sports betting laws are changing across the country. Over half the US-states are currently trying to enact some sort of sports betting law. Another federal law preventing operators from operating online in the USA is the UIGEA act, which makes it illegal for financial institutions to process payments from known gambling operations. Together these two laws prevent online sports betting across state lines.

To sum things up, US-based online sports betting is not an option for Maryland residents short of a trip to Vegas or a dramatically sparse offering of limited parlay bets in Delaware. However, there is a silver lining here. None of the state gambling laws or the federal gambling laws discussed above prevent Maryland’s residents from participating in licensed and regulated online sports betting through legitimate sportsbooks located offshore. When we say legitimate, we mean a high-quality online sports betting site that is licensed, regulated and located outside of United States borders within a governing jurisdiction that has expressly legalized online sports betting. The bookmakers that are operating legitimately within the industry can legally accept bets from gamblers in the US.

You will find a list of recommended legal online sports betting sites on this page. Each of them has been carefully vetted by our team through an intense review process that effectively determines their legitimacy and quality. The ones that made it onto our list exceed minimal industry standards and licensing requirements, deliver a safe and sophisticated betting environment, and competitive betting lines and wagering options.

Do Federal Gambling Restrictions Affect Maryland?

Since Maryland has recently legalized casino gambling, in effect, many people want to know whether or not the federal government is going to override the state's laws and start prosecuting people who gamble or who offer games of chance in a for-profit capacity. And this is a very legitimate concern. Their legalization of gambling is perfectly legal inside of the framework of the Constitution. In other words, although certain aspects of gambling are still illegal per federal regulations, Maryland was perfectly within its rights to sanction state-licensed gambling within its borders.

There's really nothing the federal government could do, at least not without creating an epic war on states' rights that no politician in Washington would ever really want to fight. Even if they won, they'd still lose, because the electorate would view such a politician as a usurping dictator. So the federal government isn't going to challenge Maryland. If MD says gambling is legal there in a certain capacity, then gambling is legal. The exception would be sports betting, which the federal government has outlawed in all except for four specific regions, and Maryland is not one of them.

But on a federal level, there are still certain things Maryland cannot do due to the federal regulations on the books. For instance, Maryland can allow for a variety of casinos and state-licensed games and suchlike, but they cannot break federal law via the Federal Wire Act and just start allowing people to own or operate an online sportsbook within the state. Maryland would also have to comply with the UIGEA law should they choose to establish any type of online casino or poker gambling platform. This law provides regulatory requirements concerning how online gambling related transactions can be processed and applies to US-based banks and credit card companies.

Your Maryland Gambling Options

Since legalized casino gambling is still brand new in Maryland, you have to take the good with the bad. On the good side of things, their casinos are brand new, state-of-the-art establishments that have all the bells and whistles, beautiful rooms, spas, etc. They're gorgeous landmarks that bring people in from all up and down the eastern seaboard. On the negative size, of course, you don't have a lot of places from which to choose. Your options are rather limited since the state hasn't had enough time, nor enough revenue, to start building their own version of Atlantic City within the state.

At the moment, there are five casinos operating within Maryland's borders, with the oldest opening in 2010. Time flies by so quickly that, for many of you out there, it probably feels like it was just 2010 yesterday, so Maryland's casinos aren't old by any stretch of the imagination. Their oldest casino is the Hollywood Casino in Perryville. This is a location that has tons of slot machines, table games, and more. They also have brand new locations, such as the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. This is a huge location with over 2,500 slot machines, 120 table games, and a gigantic poker room that's themed after the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and it even has some professional poker players who stop by occasionally. Perhaps the city's most popular casino is Maryland Live, located in Hanover. This is a gargantuan casino, in the context of state-based casinos, and it opened in three phases just to get it done. The 3,200 slot phase opened first in 2011, with another 1,500 machines added in 2012. In 2013, another addition hit Maryland Live and it got some table games. Just last year, a two-story poker room opened up in the casino, making it one of the go-to destinations of the entire state.

And if these casinos aren't enough to satisfy Marylanders, then the MGM Grand was just awarded a license last year to open up shop in the state, with a casino that is estimated to cost $925 million! Slated to open its doors in 2016, this casino will easily rival a Vegas casino and feature every type of option you could imagine for a casino. You can also find horse racing and sports betting in Maryland, though they're in limited supply. What's most popular in the state is slots, table games and poker rooms. It stands to reason that despite the state licensed options, many players will still prefer the convenience of online gambling and the option of legal sports betting, which can be legally enjoyed through licensed offshore gambling sites.

Baltimore's Big Two

While the Washington Redskins play inside of Maryland via FedEx Field, they're still a DC team and not a Maryland team. Calling the Redskins a Maryland team would be like calling the New York Jets or Giants New Jersey teams. They might play there, but they're still New York teams. And even though there is a hefty Redskins fan base inside of Maryland, most Marylanders love their big two teams out of Baltimore: The Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore has a rather long history of professional teams. Many from Maryland may still remember the Baltimore Colts before they moved to Indianapolis. The Colts ultimately became the Ravens, and Marylanders aren't upset about the change. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls in recent memory, with the latest coming only three seasons ago when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in a fantastic game that pitted brother against brother via the head coaches, John and Jim Harbaugh.

Betting On The Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are a team adored by more than Marylanders. Playing small-market baseball, which means they don't have those obscene contract numbers, the Orioles are like the underdog team, ala Rocky Balboa, that people just love to root for. They play in the same division with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the two biggest payrolls in all of professional sports, so Marylanders love rooting for their Orioles to finally get over the hump. They don't have a long tradition of winning games, but they do have a long tradition of having some tough ball players. Cal Ripken, Jr. was an Oriole and ended up becoming the true iron man of baseball, playing in 2,632 consecutive games over 16 seasons. Cal played through tears, breaks and sprains, concussions and lacerations, and more. No matter what was wrong with him, he suited up and took the field, and this embodied the Maryland spirit of hard work and determination, and it's still one of the biggest reasons that the Orioles are so popular in Maryland.

Betting On The 2019 Baltimore Ravens

Following QB Joe Flacco’s hip injury in Week 9, rookie Lamar Jackson took over for a failing Baltimore team. However, the run-heavy offense and strong defense won six of the last seven games and claimed the team’s first AFC North title since 2012.

The team’s defense lost key players to the free agency market, including C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, and Terrell Suggs. Despite this, plenty of returning players are set to keep the Raven’s defense tough.

If Jackson can be the quarterback the team needs, the defense should carry the team the rest of the way into the playoffs.

Super Bowl LIV Odds to Win: +3300

Much like every state looking to legalize sports betting, Maryland had flirted with the idea ever since the 2018 US Supreme Court decision. After all, Maryland does have other forms of gambling at horse racing tracks and brick-and-mortar casinos.

Finally, sports betting at those casinos is on the way, as voters voted yes on the legal sports betting question on the November 2020 ballot.

Latest updates

Last updated: Dec. 17, 2020

Penn National Gaming secured operations to Hollywood Casino Perryville for $31.1 million in cash. The plan is to launch a Barstool Sportsbook, both retail and online, pending regulatory approval.

Voters in Maryland said “yes” to legal sports betting in the Nov. 3 elections. Question 2 on the ballot posed legalizing wagering in the state, with the purpose of raising money for local education. Now that it’s a done deal, in all reality, Maryland sports betting could begin in 2021. It all depends on how fast details can get hammered out and when the first bets will actually be taken.

When will Maryland sports betting launch?

The sports betting gears were turning very slowly in Maryland.

After the Maryland Senate passed a full-fledged sports betting bill, the House opted to strip all the language regarding how sports betting would be conducted.

Because of this, voters had to approve sports betting via a November 2020 ballot initiative. They were asked this question:

“Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and event betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?”

Now that it has passed with a legal vote, conservative guesses would say that sports betting could launch sometime in late 2021.

Remember, lawmakers still have to sit down in 2021 and plan out exactly how sports betting will function in the state. There are regulations, rules, and decisions to make on licenses, plus a whole host of details to be worked out.

Where will I be able to make legal sports bets in Maryland?

Sports betting traditionally operates via two outlets: physical retail locations and mobile/online wagering.

Is online sports betting legal

Maryland is in a perfect position for both. The state has six casinos, three racetracks and several gambling operators that would love a crack at the online market.

Retail locations

As mentioned, Maryland has six land-based casinos, all of which would be capable of opening a retail sportsbook.

  • Maryland Live! Casino
  • MGM National Harbor
  • Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
  • Hollywood Casino Perryville
  • Ocean Downs
  • Rocky Gap Casino Resort

Additionally, there are three racetracks capable of opening sportsbooks.

  • Pimlico Race Course
  • Laurel Park
  • Timonium at Maryland State Fairgrounds

Mobile sports betting apps

Usually, when a property opens a retail sportsbook, it tends to launch a companion app. There are six gambling operators in the state that could go at it alone or partner with other companies to launch apps.

  • Caesars Entertainment
  • Gaming and Leisure Properties
  • Golden Entertainment
  • MGM Resorts International
  • Saratoga Casino Holdings
  • The Cordish Companies

Of course, these are all hypotheticals. Ultimately, who can and will operate sports betting will be determined by the language in the final sports betting bill.

Background to Maryland gambling law

Maryland’s history with gambling dates back to 1947 when four southern counties went over the governor’s head and installed 9,300 gambling machines. When 1968 rolled around, Maryland outlawed slot machines altogether, and the millions generated from these illegal machines dried up.

Four decades later in 2008, residents approved a constitutional amendment to allow slot machines in five designated locations. In 2012, voters again elected to expand gambling by permitting table games and authorizing a sixth casino in the state.

That sixth casino, MGM National Harbor, is right across the water from Washington, D.C.

The six casinos are located in:

  • Anne Arundel County
  • Baltimore
  • Cecil County
  • Allegany County
  • Worchester County
  • Prince George’s County

How old do I have to be to place sports bets in Maryland?

Since there is no sports betting law just yet, the exact age to place a bet is still unknown. However, simply looking at other states with sports betting, it’s safe to assume you will have to be 21 or older to place a wager.

The minimum gambling age in the state is 21; odds are that will apply to sports betting, as well.

The mechanics of getting started

When the laws are finalized, sportsbooks are officially open, and apps and online sites have launched, then you will be ready to start betting.

Make sure you understand sports betting basics and the type of bet you are placing. If you have any doubts, the casino staff can explain.

Typically, you can place a bet in two ways.

The traditional way is to go to a tellerwindow. You pay your money and receive a ticket, which is your record of the bet.

A new way is to use a bettingkiosk. These come with touch screens that display all the available bet types and games. Select your bet, pay with cash or card, and the kiosk will print out your betting ticket.

Keep your betting ticket safe because you will need it if you win. To collect your winnings, go to the teller window and hand over your ticket.

How do I begin mobile sports betting in Maryland?

If law permits, mobile wagering will be a way for customers to place bets without having to travel to a physical sportsbook.

Geolocation will ensure that you are within state borders, and various levels of security will be installed on the apps to make sure you are who you say you are.

However, until that day comes, all of this is hypothetical.

When online sports betting arrives, you can set up a sports betting account in a matter of minutes. In some jurisdictions, such as Nevada, the law states that you must set up your account in person at a casino. There is a chance lawmakers in Maryland might adopt this rule.

You would only need to travel to the nearest physical sportsbook once to set up your account. After that, you would be able to place wagers from anywhere in the state.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal

Whenever online sports betting launches in MD, we will provide links to all the various brands together with reviews of each operator.

To open your account, follow one of our links and complete the information on the sign-up page. Remember, personal details will be required. This is to prevent any chance of underage gambling.

After you have chosen a screen name and password, you are ready to place your first bets. If you open your account using a mobile device, you will need to download the appropriate app. After that, the process is the same as signing up from your desktop.

Be sure to check out the new customer offers before deciding which online sportsbook to use.

How to make a deposit

Much like an online bank account, you will need money in your sportsbook account in order to place a bet.

Online sports betting operators will offer as many ways as they can to allow customers to make deposits. In some states, the laws even stipulate that operators must accept specific payment methods.

When you place a bet, funds are taken from your sportsbook account, and any winnings will credit to it. The operator will provide a complete transaction history on request.

US deposit methods

There are several options to deposit funds in other legal sports betting states. These options include:

  • Credit and debit cards
  • Prepaid cards
  • Wire transfers
  • E-checks
  • PayPal, Skrill and Neteller
  • Cash
  • Check or money order

How to withdraw winnings

Withdrawals are easiest if you can use the same method you used to make your deposit.

Withdrawals are fast compared to the time needed by offshore (or illegal) sites. Because these are not allowed to use the US banking system, it can take weeks to claim your winnings from an offshore operator.

In the US, the process is almost instant if using credit or debit cards or payment processing services.

Other withdrawal methods, such as requesting a check, can take a little longer. You may not withdraw money through PayNearMe.

Easy financial transactions and the security of your account funds are significant reasons to switch from offshore sports betting to the legal market.

Do I have to be in Maryland to bet online?

Short answer — yes. If you set up an online sports betting account in Maryland, you will most likely have to be inside state boundaries to place a bet. The same goes if you are betting in neighboring Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

Online gambling is regulated at the state level, not the federal level, so Maryland law no longer applies when you leave the state. One step across the border, and you are no longer legally allowed to wager on your mobile device with a Maryland licensed operator.

Geolocationtechnology is accurate. If you try to place a bet, the software will refuse to accept it. Of course, all bets you have made before leaving the state remain legal.

Another frequently asked question is, what if the same operator is in both states? Regardless, you will have to set up separate accounts. You will not be able to use your Pennsylvania account to bet in Maryland and vice versa.

What sports can I bet on in Maryland?

In theory, you most likely will be able to bet on any and all sports in Maryland.

Typically the regulator decides what counts as a sport eligible for betting. Betting on the Oscars may or may not qualify.

However, there is a possibility that lawmakers may adopt a rule that prohibits wagering on in-state college teams, much like New Jersey.

Obviously, there will be no betting on high school sports or any sports involving minors where they are the majority participants.

What types of sports bets will be available in MD?

The law may specify the types of permitted sports bets, but the regulator will probably have a great deal of latitude.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Maryland

Some of the common bet types are:

  • Moneyline:Wagers on which team or player will win.
  • Spreads: You don’t bet on the winner of the game; you bet on the difference between the final scores of the two teams involved in the game.
  • Totals: Betting on the combined total of both teams’ scores.
  • Futures: Futures bets are on something a long way off, such as who will win the NBA championship.
  • Parlay: You select the winners of several games, usually all taking place on the same day. If you get one winner wrong, you lose your stake.
  • Teaser: This is just like a parlay, but the legs of the parlay are only on totals bets or spread bets, and you can move the line in your favor.

Live betting on MD sports betting apps

Live betting allows you to wager after a game has begun. The data that sports betting operators have now is so good — at least for major events — that they can adjust the odds of bets in response to the action on the field almost instantly.

Live betting, or in game wagering, is where you bet on certain outcomes during a game. Some examples include:

  • Will the next play be a run or a pass?
  • Will David Johnson run for a TD on the next play?
  • Will LeBron James make a 3-point shot on this possession?
  • What will the total score be at the end of the next quarter?

Live, in game wagering is rapidly becoming a favorite of bettors. When you have a bunch of friends watching a game together, a few small in-game bets can enhance your enjoyment of the game and give everyone a stake in the outcome.

Which sportsbooks will launch in Maryland?

It’s still too early to know who will be opening a sportsbook in Maryland. But by looking at neighboring states and other jurisdictions that have launched sports betting, we have a good guess as to who might.

The names you will almost certainly see if they can get access to the market will be:

  • Kindred
  • Kambi

All are already active in the US market, and all will try to find a Maryland sports betting partner.

Does Maryland support other forms of online gambling?

Short answer — no.

Unfortunately, Maryland does not have any other forms of online gambling such as online poker or online casino games.

Online Betting Legal States

The state does have charitable, horse-based gambling, a state lottery and land-based casinos.

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