Commission Recommends Online Maryland Sports Betting Licenses

A Thursday assembly of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Management Fee (MLGCC) represented the fruits of months of labor and anticipation for a lot of events. Through the assembly, the commissioners almost unanimously really helpful a number of Maryland sports activities betting licenses for a number of candidates.

The suggestions imply a few of the greatest manufacturers in US on-line sports activities betting are almost prepared to start out accepting bets within the Outdated Line State. Some native operations had been a part of Thursday’s confirmations as nicely.

MLGCC votes to advocate Maryland sports activities betting licenses

In its assembly on Thursday morning, the MLGCC accepted over 20 sports activities betting license suggestions. The Fee’s approval is sort of the ultimate step for 10 on-line licenses. The recipients of these suggestions are:

• American Wagering (which does enterprise in Maryland as Caesars)
• Barstool
• Betfred
• BetMGM
• RSI MD (which does enterprise in Maryland as BetRivers)
• DraftKings
• Wager Honest Interactive US (which does enterprise in Maryland as FanDuel)
• Fanatics
• Parx Interactive
• PointsBet Maryland

The MGLCC additionally accepted suggestions for 10 on-line licenses. Additional approval for these licenses is as much as the Sports activities Wagering Utility Evaluation Fee (SWARC). These suggestions had been awarded to:

• Arundel Amusements (which does enterprise in Maryland as Bingo World)
• BetMGM Maryland Sports activities
• Crown MD Gaming (linked to DraftKings)
• CZR Maryland Cell Alternative (linked to Caesars)
• Greenmount Station (linked to Parx)
• Dwell! On line casino and Lodge
• Lengthy Shot’s
• Maryland Stadium Sub (linked to FedEx Discipline)
• Penn Maryland OSB/Hollywood On line casino
• Riverboat on the Potomac (linked to PointsBet)

Lengthy Shot’s, which runs off-track-betting parlors in Frederick and Hagerstown, additionally obtained a advice for a Class B2 license. Ultimate approval would permit the parlors to take bets on sporting occasions from guests to the venues.

Greenmount Station in Hampstead plans to start out taking bets in-person on Friday. Like its competitors, betParx may very well be out there for bettors within the state by Thanksgiving.

So what occurs now?

The license approval course of for on-line Maryland sports activities betting has a number of steps. Neither the MLGCC nor the SWARC itself can really award licenses by itself. For on-line licenses and Class B2 licenses, a advice from the SWARC is among the closing steps.

The SWARC considers the suitability of candidates and evaluates candidates’ enterprise plans. At the moment, the following assembly date for the SWARC is unknown. Whereas month-to-month conferences have largely been the norm, the SWARC did meet thrice in September.

After the SWARC considers the functions, these candidates that obtain additional suggestions will endure a testing interval. If that testing goes nicely, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Management Company then award licenses. The identical physique additionally tells the licensees once they can begin accepting bets.

Whereas the MLGCC supplied no updates on Thursday, the license suggestions on Thursday counsel that Thanksgiving 2022 is an optimistic however doable launch date for a minimum of some on-line sportsbooks in Maryland. All the businesses that acquired constructive votes from the MLGCC are actually one massive step nearer to going dwell.