How to Start Sports Betting Online in Maryland: An Easy, 4-Step Guide

Maryland online sports betting is officially live!

After a brief "soft launch" period on Monday, Maryland online sports betting is permanently online as of 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 23.

It's huge news for a state that's waited an exceptionally long time between the legalization of online sports betting and actually being able to place bets.

So how do you get started? Here's a simple four-step guide.

How to Bet in Maryland

Step 1: Choose a Sportsbook

Seven major online sportsbooks will be live in Maryland on Wednesday, with three more to come in the near future and the potential for as many as 60 operators in the state.

If you bet just $5 at FanDuel, you get $200 no matter what. Let's start there.

Eventually, you'll want multiple sports betting accounts so you can shop for the best lines, but for now, let’s just use FanDuel, especially since that allows us to use Action Network's exclusive QuickSlip to instantly place our future bets.

Step 2: Sign Up

Create a new account at FanDuel by following the prompts. You might need to provide proof of identity, like a driver’s license and social security number, to verify you are of legal age and so you can't create multiple accounts using fake names.

You may already have an account at FanDuel if you've played DFS before. If so, login.

Pro Tip: If you're in D.C. or another nearby state and try to sign up in Maryland, use all your real information. Don't use a friend's address, or an old address. It's perfectly legal to sign up to bet in Maryland while you're inside state lines, even if you don't live there.

Step 3: Deposit Money Online, Not in Person

Maryland has made things easy on sports bettors by allowing online sign ups and registrations. Some states make you sign up in person before betting online.

You can deposit at FanDuel with the following:

• Credit card
• Bank account
• PayPal
• Wire transfer
• And more…

Here’s what the deposit screen will look like at FanDuel.

Legal sportsbooks make you pay up front by depositing a certain amount of money (that you choose) which will operate as your bankroll (or available funds to bet). If you've previously bet offshore, you'll be happy to know that it's easy to use a credit card or bank account to deposit money.

Cashing out is also easy — FanDuel will wire money right to your bank account at any time, in this example. We’ve seen withdrawals come through in fewer than 24 hours in some instances. If you’ve been betting offshore, that’s a welcome change.

Step 4: Place Your First Bet

We're at an excellent time in the sports betting calendar. The World Cup is going on, college football's rivalry week is upon us, the NFL is in full swing (go Ravens!), college basketball is in the air, and both the NBA and NHL are in the midst of their regular seasons, just to name a few.

That means you have a bunch of options when it comes to bets. Why don't we use a Ravens wager as an example?

Once you're at FanDuel sportsbook, either on desktop or through the mobile app, all we have to do to bet is simply click on a line you like, and it will be highlighted.

Once it's highlighted, the bet will populate your bet slip, where you'll select how much you want to bet from your available funds that you deposited earlier. That bet slip will be on the right side of your screen on desktop, and in the middle of the bottom menu on your phone.

So get started sports betting in Maryland with FanDuel's offer of $200 no matter what as long as you wager $5. And if you don't know what any of this means, check out our beginner's sports betting guide.