SPORTS BETTING

US – Maryland approves sports betting at five casinos

By Phil - 22 November 2021

Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) has awarded five sports betting licenses to five casinos; Hollywood Casino in Perryville, who is partnering with Barstool Sports; Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore who is part of Caesars; Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover who will work with FanDuel Sportsbook; MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, who will work with BetMGM and Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin, who will work with TwinSpires.

Commissioner Frank Turner wanted more time for 17 applications still in the process to advance. “Let us all start at the same starting point for a change,” he said. “I would have hoped that we could have done this before the end of the year, where the other group would be part of the five licenses that we are now considering.”

Commissioner Randy Marriner, said of the casinos approved: “They are already so regulated we know who they are,” Marriner said. “That’s why they ended up here first.”

SWARC member Rosie Allen-Herring added: “I want to ensure that within the confines of where we are and where we find ourselves, that we put forth the effort to ensure that minority and women-owned businesses have the ability to be in the pipeline, to be considered sooner, quicker and faster.”