What Is the Status of Online Casino Gaming in Maryland?
23 June 2021, Bremen: ILLUSTRATION – An online game is played on a smartphone. With the new State Treaty on Gambling, which comes into force on July 1, previously prohibited virtual slot machine games on the Internet and online casinos with poker or roulette will be allowed. Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa (Photo by Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Maryland online sports betting is set to go live at 9 a.m. Wednesday. After more than two years of waiting, Maryland bettors will finally have the opportunity to place wagers on their favorite pro and college teams, as well as the athletes they most closely follow.
But what about online casino gambling? Will bettors be able to play their favorite casino games like online poker, slots, craps, roulette and more starting tomorrow? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Online casino gaming will not be legalized at the same time as online sports betting.
Online casino gaming has not been the focus of conversation among Maryland legislators, meaning avid and casual gamers alike will have to wait a while before they can wager from the comfort of their couches.
The potential good news for Maryland online gamers? Several of Maryland's neighbors offer online casino gambling, meaning the pressure could be on state officials to eventually legalize it. New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are among the states that offer online casino gaming within their borders. Learn about the top online casinos here.
Although online real-money casinos will not be legalized, in-person gambling at one of Maryland's six casinos, as well as horse betting at tracks like the Pimlico Race Course, is legal in the Old Line State. Additionally, social and sweepstakes casinos like Chumba Casino and LuckyLand are legal options for gamers looking for their mobile gaming fix. These types of casinos allow players to use virtual currencies to play games and potentially win cash prizes.
Maryland Sports Betting Background
Maryland sports betting will officially go live at 9 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
It’s been more than two years since Marylanders legalized online sports betting. Maryland has had one of the longest go-live periods in U.S. sports betting history after legalizing it during the 2020 election.
Seven sportsbooks will launch Wednesday morning. Ten sportsbooks were granted official licenses to operate in the state last week by the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, but three of them will wait to launch until 2023.
The seven online sportsbooks that will launch on Wednesday are:
Betfred, betPARX and Fanatics are expected to go online early next year.
Most of these sportsbook operators also offer online casino gaming. It remains to be seen if online gaming will be a part of state officials' future plans.
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