Maryland Online Gambling - Legal Gambling in MD

Maryland Daily Fantasy

Maryland was the first state in the union to pass a law specifically legalizing paid-entry fantasy sports back in 2012. At the beginning of 2017, Maryland also implemented new consumer-friendly regulations for the Daily Fantasy Sports industry operating in the state as a whole. This makes it one of the most DFS-friendly places in the whole country to play sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.

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Gambling in Maryland

It’s fair to say the Old Line State has been known to take a rather Jekyll and Hyde approach to gambling, lurching back and forth between prohibition and legislation throughout its history. These days, Maryland seems to be seeking a generally progressive loosening of gambling restrictions, although this is clearly not evident (or welcome) in some parts of the state. However, lawmakers have not been blind (or indeed, quick) in realizing how much potential revenue has been lost to neighboring states from Maryland residents who have had no option but to travel elsewhere to get their sports gambling or online betting fix.

Thankfully, recent changes in legislation have made it possible for Maryland residents to legally play casino games at six casinos, four of which also offer legit live poker rooms. Pari-mutuel betting on horse races is allowed as well, as are lottery games and bingo.

As with so many other states, online gambling in Maryland is a different situation. According to the wording of the state’s statutes, online casinos and online poker are both illegal.

Timeline of Gambling Legislation in Maryland

2019
After a sports betting legalization proposal falters in Annapolis during the 2018 legislative session, lawmakers again take up a bill in 2019. Competing interests and ongoing debates continue to stall the bill, but lawmakers acknowledge an extra sense of urgency to pass a law after the District of Columbia passed a sports betting bill earlier in the year.
2017
Maryland decides to regulate Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS).
2016
The MGM National Harbor, a colossal casino in Oxon Hill near Washington D.C., opens its doors for business.
2014
Maryland hosts its first-ever $1 million live poker tournament.
2012
Again via a referendum, Maryland citizens vote in favor of a bill to legalize casino table games in the state. This leads to an immediate boom in the construction of casinos, with the first ones opening their doors just a year later in 2013.
2008
Voters use a constitutional referendum to approve the installation of video lottery terminals (slot machines) at five privately owned venues throughout Maryland.
1973
State lottery begins. At the time of writing, this has generated more than $13 billion in revenue.
1963
After a highly spirited “ruining families” campaign by anti-gambling activists, a law is passed to stop the renewal of slot machine licenses, effectively bringing the “Little Vegas” boom to an end. The last licenses expired in 1968.
1943 to 1949
Power to control slot machines was passed from the state to counties. This lead to a slots boom, with nickel machines popping up in stores, gas stations and malls across five counties.
1920
The Racing Board was formed to oversee horse racing at the Pimlico and Laurel Park racetracks.
1834
The state finally makes efforts to reign in the lotteries, voting overwhelmingly to stop new licenses from being issued.
1791
Good cause lotteries initiated by churches become the first form of legalized gambling in Maryland. As the popularity of these private lotteries exploded, the degree of cheating and corruption associated with them spiraled out of control.

Online Casino Gambling in Maryland

All gambling-related issues in Maryland are covered by the following statute: “Betting, wagering, gambling, etc.

(a) Prohibited.- A person may not:

(1) bet, wager, or gamble;

(2) make or sell a book or pool on the result of a race, contest, or contingency;

(3) establish, keep, rent, use, or occupy, or knowingly allow to be established, kept, rented, used, or occupied, all or a part of a building, vessel, or place, on land or water, within the State, for the purpose of: (i) betting, wagering, or gambling; or (ii) making, selling, or buying books or pools on the result of a race, contest, or contingency; or

(4) receive, become the depository of, record, register, or forward, or propose, agree, or pretend to forward, money or any other thing or consideration of value, to be bet, wagered, or gambled on the result of a race, contest, or contingency. “ (from Section 12-201)

Clearly, this very broad definition, with its catch-all term of “wagering” can be interpreted—and misinterpreted—in a number of ways, especially when it comes to online gambling. In practice, that means players can't place a legal bet online in Maryland. Despite some solid in-person betting options, Marylanders can't place a wager through the internet.

Maryland Poker Online

An online poker business in Maryland is not, technically speaking, permitted under current legislation. It is illegal for Maryland residents to play online poker through any website.

There’s hope that now that neighboring states like New Jersey and Delaware have embraced regulated online gambling in the form of online poker, Maryland may soon join the next wave of states to reconsider its position.

Of course, 100% legal live poker is available at four Maryland casinos: Hollywood Casino Perryville, Horseshoe Baltimore, Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills, and MGM National Harbor.

Sports Betting in Maryland

Currently sports betting in Maryland is almost entirely restricted to pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, including live simulcast racing between states. This type of wagering works by putting all bets of a particular type together in a pool, then working out the payoff odds by sharing the pool among all winning bets (minus all taxes and the house-take, of course).

Online sports betting in Maryland is looking more likely since the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 Federal Law earlier this year that banned sports betting in states that didn’t already have suitable betting legislation in place. With nearby New Jersey and Delaware launching sports betting at casinos and racetracks, Maryland lawmakers may try to keep their citizens—and potential revenue—from going to out-of-state betting venues. Optimists believe online sports betting in Maryland could be entirely legal by 2020, though there is a heavy legislative burden to get to that point.