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 a nice range of DFS apps in the state, thanks to HB 940, which legalized them in 2021.

Some of the daily fantasy sports apps that have been made available in Maryland over the years 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 something that is 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 an issue that was put on the 2020 ballot, Maryland voters decided to vote in favor of it. As a result, after the state decided to expand the amount of licenses it could offer at one time, HB 940 was signed into law by Governor Lawrence J Hogan Jr. 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 it came to handing out retail licenses, so mobile betting licenses were put on the back burner for an extended period of time.

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

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

Sports betting & gambling legislation in MD

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has set the legal sports betting age in Maryland at 21 years old. 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, of course, subject to a tax, but that tax rate will vary between 2% and 5.75% depending on the tax bracket of the individual. 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

• April 26, 2024: After struggling at the plate, the Baltimore Orioles have sent top prospect Jackson Holliday back to the minors. He is now (+5000) to win AL Rookie of the Year.

• April 25, 2025: The Baltimore Orioles selected cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson with their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. He is currently (+2500) to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

• March 7, 2024: A proposed bill in the Maryland General Assembly would prohibit access to sports betting apps on college campuses in the state.

• March 4, 2024: Maryland becomes the second state to officially ban prop bets specific to college players. 

• February 22, 2024: Crab Sports, Fan Duel, and DraftKings entered into consent agreements with the Maryland Lottery after being penalized for varying infractions.

• February 14, 2024: HB 1087 was introduced in Maryland, and the legislation calls for a ban on sports betting on college campuses in the state. Discussion surrounding the bill will begin soon.

• December 21, 2023: DraftKings "Pick Six" DFS game has been ordered to be withdrawn from the app in the state of Maryland by the state's gaming regulator. The game mode was a traditional pick'em layout commonly seen on DFS apps, but it only lasted less than a month in Maryland.

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 11 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.

Top 3 sportsbooks in the state in April 2024:

1. FanDuel (Handle: $221m, Revenue: $21.7m)

2. DraftKings (Handle: $141.7m, Revenue: $10m)

3. ESPN Bet (Handle: $35.5m, Revenue: $811,000)

Maryland sports betting record months:

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

• Revenue: January 2024 ($80,000,652)

• Tax income: January 2024 ($8,246,847)

MD sports betting revenue in 2024