Maryland Sports Betting Ballot Measure 2020 Voter Guide
G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images. Pictured: The Maryland Terrapins mascot
The 2020 election will allow Maryland voters to legalize sports betting.
It's the last remaining state in the area without legal wagering, as other mid-Atlantic states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been among the early revenue leaders in the U.S. market.
Gaming stakeholders have spent millions of dollars to support the “yes” vote on Maryland Question 2, also known as the “Sports Betting Measure,” but polling shows it could be a close vote.
Here’s everything Maryland voters need to know about the question on their ballots and what to expect in the coming election.
[Sports Betting Legalization Map]
What Is Maryland Question 2?
Maryland voters will see the following on their election ballot under Question 2:
Do you approve the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and events betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?
“The expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and events betting” is required to amend the state constitution, which currently prohibits sports gambling. A majority of 2020 voters must vote “yes” or sports betting remains illegal.
The second clause refers to how gambling tax dollars would be spent if legalized. Legislation that put the referendum on the 2020 ballot specifically directs that sports wagering taxes must be primarily put toward funding public education.
When Would Sports Betting Begin?
If approved in November, Maryland legal sports betting would likely begin sometime in 2021, though elected officials will still need to pass critical follow-up legislation that answers things like:
- How many operators can enter the state
- Whether or not online betting will be legal (which does seem like a safe bet)
- How the operators would be regulated
Maryland lawmakers worked on a comprehensive bill earlier this year that would work through many of those questions until the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the 2020 legislative session. Legislators agreed instead to a streamlined bill that placed the referendum question needed to amend the state constitution but left unanswered most other crucial elements of regulated sports betting.
Lawmakers were still working through these questions before the 2020 session ended, but bettors should expect, at the very least, retail sportsbooks at the state’s six commercial casinos. Elected officials also seem inclined to support sportsbooks at several state horse tracks.
Statewide mobile betting also seems like a safe bet. Online betting makes up as much as 90% of betting handle in other regional sports betting markets such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Elected officials seemed to largely support online betting during discussions earlier this year.
Legislators will also have to determine how many online licenses, or “skins,” would be available. Industry stakeholders have pushed for a large skin total, pointing to other successful markets such as New Jersey and Colorado, which both allow more than 30 skins.
At a minimum, Maryland bettors should expect at least eight or nine skins between the casinos and horse tracks.
Will the Maryland Sports Betting Question Pass?
Ballot measure questions are difficult to predict, especially those involving controversial subjects such as legal gambling, but most key factors are pointing toward passage.
Campaign spending is entirely in favor of Question 2, with supporters raising close to $3 million and organized opposition groups reporting $0. DraftKings and FanDuel have already contributed $1.5 million and $250,000 in cash contributions, respectively. Three state casinos have combined to chip in more than $50,000 for the “yes” campaign.
The funds have gone in part toward an ad campaign that highlights revenues toward educational purposes from sports betting taxes. Lawmakers from both parties in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly have also publicly supported Question 2, as has Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
Polling has been limited, but a February poll showed only 47% support for legal sports betting with 43% opposition. That came before Maryland formalized the ballot measure — and COVID-19 altered the state’s education funding — so it remains to be seen how well the poll holds up presently.
That poll also came before neighboring Virginia passed its sports betting bill and Washington D.C. opened its first retail and digital sportsbooks. Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey already offer legal sports betting, meaning Maryland will remain the only Mid-Atlantic state without wagering if voters reject Question 2.
The reality that Marylanders will either cross into a neighboring state or continue with unlicensed bookmakers or offshore betting sites to place a wager is one of supporters’ strongest arguments for the ballot question. Even for those disinclined to patronize or even support a legal sportsbook, the amendment is the only way to keep sports betting tax dollars in-state.
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