Maryland

Not only is sports betting legal in Maryland, but the Old Line State has the potential to hold the record for the most online and retail sportsbooks available in one state. As it stands right now, bettors have their choice of 11 online sportsbooks, with plenty more licenses available.

There aren’t many restrictions on sports betting in the Old Line State. Residents are fully allowed to wager on in-state colleges and all professional sports. While there are plenty of sportsbooks to choose from, if a resident prefers to stick with daily fantasy sports, they can find an excellent range of DFS apps in the state, thanks to HB 940, which legalized them in 2021.

Over the years, daily fantasy sports apps made available in Maryland include OwnersBox, Underdog, FanDuel DFS, DraftKings DFS, SuperDraft, and plenty more.

Aside from horse racing being legal, residents also have the option to wager on eSports, which is not available in a lot of states. This means only politics and entertainment events are off-limits to bet on in MD.

Online sports betting in The Old Line State

When legal sports betting was on the 2020 ballot, Maryland voters decided to vote in favor of it. As a result, after the state decided to expand the number of licenses it could offer at one time, Governor Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. signed HB 940 into law in May 2021.

Despite the state's sports betting bill being passed and retail sports betting going live in 2021, online sports betting did not go live in MD until November 23, 2022. Once the bill was passed, the Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission (SWARC) had its hands full when handing out retail licenses, so mobile betting licenses were put on the back burner for an extended period.

It wasn’t until September 2022 that SWARC set a deadline for initial applications for an online operator license in the state. They decided to review and award licenses as they came in to speed up the process of launching mobile betting. By the time early November rolled around, SWARC was able to hand out ten licenses to mobile operators.

These licenses were eventually handed out to some of the most prominent operators in the market, including BetMGM, FanDuel, PointsBet, Barstool Sportsbook (at the time), and more. Once the licenses were handed out, residents did not need to wait long until online sports betting was live.

With the initial licenses handed out in 2022, the state has continually seen movement into and out of the market as sportsbooks like Crab Sports, BetFred, and SuperBook became available to bettors in 2023. Plenty more licenses are available in MD, so residents could have even more variety in the coming years.

All legal MD sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):

Recently Closed Online Sportsbooks

Sports betting & gambling legislation in MD

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has set the legal sports betting age in Maryland at 21. This age limit applies to both online and retail wagers. Remote registration for the state's wide range of sports betting apps is available, but it is essential that bettors are within state lines when looking to place a bet on those apps.

Gambling winnings in Maryland are subject to a tax, but that tax rate will vary between 2% and 5.75% depending on the individual's tax bracket. Those figures are strictly for state tax, as all winnings are also subject to the standard 24% federal tax on winnings.

With local professional sports teams fully intertwined into the sports betting web, the only thing left for the state to discuss is the legality of iGaming. These discussions look to be happening sooner rather than later, with Senator Ron Watson likely to push iGaming legislation during 2024 legislative sessions. Since the lottery is legal in the state, the only two gambling-related products that could be added to the state market are online casinos and online poker.

Most recent updates from the MD sports betting scene

• November 18, 2024: With their loss to the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens are now (+160) to win the AFC North.

• November 13, 2024: In a big divisional game, the Ravens will head to Pittsburgh in week 11 to play the Steelers as (-3) point favorites.

• November 5, 2024: On election day, residents in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, will be voting on whether they want the town to expand gaming options. These expansions would include electronic bingo machines, casino slots, and table games.

• October 28, 2024: After suffering a shocking loss to the Browns, the Baltimore Ravens will host the Denver Broncos in week nine as (-9) point favorites.

• October 22, 2024: Following their win over the Buccaneers, in which Lamar Jackson threw for five touchdowns, the Ravens quarterback is now the favorite to win NFL MVP.

• October 14, 2024: With a big win over the Commanders, the Ravens have won four straight games. They will now head to Tampa Bay for Monday Night Football as (-3.5) point favorites.

• October 10, 2024: Looking to extend their winning streak, the Baltimore Ravens will host the Washington Commanders this weekend as (-7) point favorites.

• October 7, 2024: By beating the Bengals on the road, the Baltimore Ravens are now (+300) to win the AFC and (+750) to win the Super Bowl.

• October 3, 2024: The Baltimore Orioles have been eliminated from the 2024 MLB postseason. Baltimore has not won a playoff game since 2014.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Currently, there are 13 retail sports betting locations in Maryland. However, the state sports betting bill allows 47 retail sportsbook licenses to be handed out. While that number is not close to being reached, residents still have an excellent range of retail options, including casinos, professional stadiums, and racetracks.

Some notable partnerships between operators and retail locations include Fanatics Sportsbook and FedEx Field (home of the Washington Commanders), Caesars Sportsbook and the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino, and Parx with the Green Turtle restaurant.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Maryland is part of a strong group of northeastern states that have legalized sports betting. Residents of MD could venture into any of their surrounding states and still be able to find some form of sports betting no matter which direction they went.

You can read up on the specific laws and sportsbooks that operate in Maryland’s surrounding states by clicking on them below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Maryland's economy

Maryland is the place to be if you want variety in the online sports betting market. While there are 13 online operators currently active in the state, the state allows up to 60 online licenses to be active. For retail betting, the number of licenses that could be handed out rises to 107.

The Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission is the official group that reviews and issues these licenses when they are applied for. Depending on the license, the fee for operators can range from $50,000 to $2 million. The state has set the tax rate at 15% for both online and retail.

The state has done well regarding handle, revenue, and tax income with their current number of operators. Maryland has put up big numbers since sports betting became legal towards the tail end of 2021. In the Old Line State’s first full year of legalized sports betting, 2022, they managed a little under $1 billion in handle, close to $150 million in revenue, and over $6 million in tax income.

Maryland sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: December 2023 ($559,865,463)

• Revenue: January 2024 ($80,000,652)

• Tax income: September 2024 ($9,379,598)

Latest MD sports betting revenue report breakdown (September 2024)

• Total betting handle: $532,866,676

  • Mobile betting handle: $518,910,635

  • Retail betting handle: $13,956,040

• Winnings Paid to Players: $467,434,876

  • Hold: 12.28%

• Gross revenue: $65,431,800

  • Adjusted (taxable) revenue: $62,530,653

• Tax revenue for the state: $9,379,598 (All-time high)

  • Tax share from mobile sports betting: $9,098,980

  • Tax share from retail wagering: $280,618

Reported by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming.

What did MD bettors wager the most in Sep. 2024?

1. NFL / Pro football ($116.4m placed bets)

2. MLB / Pro baseball ($59.5m)

3. Tennis ($36.8m)

4. College football ($30.3m)

5. NBA / Pro basketball ($27.3m)

Top 5 sportsbooks in the state in September 2024:

1. FanDuel (Handle: $231.8m, Revenue: $32.9m)

2. DraftKings (Handle: $175.9m, Revenue: $20.2m)

3. BetMGM (Handle: $39.4m, Revenue: $4.4m)

4. Caesars (Handle: $22.9m, Revenue: $1.4m)

5. Fanatics (Handle: $22.5m, Revenue: $2.2m)

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

MD sports betting revenue in 2024

You can check below how the Maryland sports betting scene has evolved, or declined, by the numbers in the 2024 calendar year. We've gathered the monthly total handle, revenue, and tax income data in the following table, showing how such figures have changed compared to the previous month (bracketed percentage).

Yearly revenue data