Legislation

US – Maryland votes in sports betting with General Assembly to shape sector in January

By Phil - 5 November 2020

Whilst the detail and the timelines are not yet known, Maryland voters have said yes to sports betting with 66.3 per cent wanting its introduction.

The General Assembly will finalise the finer detail in January with early estimates that in-person and mobile betting could generate over $18m in taxation.

MGM, which operates the largest casino in Maryland, invested $500,000 in support of legalising sports betting.

Jorge Perez, President of MGM National Harbor, said: “We look forward to our continued work with the legislature on a bill. We have many customers that request this amenity. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy already thinking through how to bring the best and most exciting amenity to our consumer.”

Democratic State Senate President Bill Ferguson said: “Today’s vote shows that Marylanders recognise that our Legislative branch is a co-equal branch of government, entrusted and relied upon to protect our shared values for the future. We will spend the next two years making sure the process for the FY2024 budget is ready to prepare for this change in a responsible manner.”

As well as casinos and sports betting companies, the horse racing industry and Washington’s NFL are all hoping to be involved in the new sports betting sector. DraftKings and FanDuel spent $2.75m on their campaigns to promote sports betting in Maryland.

Alongside MGM National Harbor, other casinos in the state include Horseshoe Casino Baltimore owned by Caesars, Live! Casino and Hotel owned by Cordish, Ocean Downs owned by Churchill Downs, Rocky Gap Casino Resort owned by Golden Entertainment, and Hollywood Casino owned by Penn National.