Betting in Maryland

Maryland spent nearly two years moving from voter approval (2020) to mobile launch (late 2022), largely because SWARC insisted on building a licensing and review process that incorporated minority-business participation and broad oversight. It was one of the slowest rollouts in the country - but once online betting went live, the market surged immediately.

In the first full year of online wagering, Maryland bettors staked well over $4 billion, and monthly handle has consistently landed in the $400–$600 million range. For players, that means Maryland skipped the “soft launch” phase you see in other states: bettors jumped straight into a mature, fully stocked market with stable liquidity and deep operator menus from day one.

Maryland’s 15% tax on online sportsbook revenue lands squarely between low-tax states like Colorado (10%) and the high-pressure markets like Pennsylvania (36%) and New York (51%). For operators, it’s a manageable number - but not low enough to fuel the aggressive promo wars you see in places like Ohio or Kentucky.

Bettors feel that middle ground directly. Lines stay competitive, but not overly generous; bonus cycles exist, but they’re measured; and operators tend to run more sustainable offers instead of splashy, loss-leading campaigns. It’s a relatively healthy market for pricing, but one where tax policy still sets a visible ceiling on how aggressive books can be.

Unlike states that restrict wagers on in-state college programs - New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois, to name a few - Maryland allows full wagering on local university teams without carve-outs. Bettors can legally wager on Maryland, Navy, Morgan State, UMBC, and all in-state events, including player props and live markets.

This matters more than people think: Maryland sits in a region with heavy college action - the Big Ten, AAC, Patriot League - and unrestricted in-state betting keeps handle from leaking to offshore markets during peak tournament season.

Maryland has a long-standing legal framework for daily fantasy sports, giving DraftKings, FanDuel, and other major DFS operators a clear path to offer traditional fantasy contests. DFS in Maryland operates under consumer-protection rules adopted years before mobile sports betting went live, which keeps the core fantasy products stable and well-defined.

Pick ’Em platforms, however, do not operate in Maryland. The state classifies player-prop Pick ’Em formats - especially “vs. the house” or fixed-prop cards - as sports wagering, not fantasy. Because Pick ’Em operators don’t hold Maryland sportsbook licenses, they’re prohibited from offering those contests in the state.

This makes Maryland one of the stricter states in the Mid-Atlantic when it comes to separating fantasy contests from unlicensed sports wagering.

Despite multiple attempts to push iGaming legislation, Maryland has not legalized online slots, blackjack, roulette, or live-dealer tables. Bills have circulated repeatedly in Annapolis, but concerns around revenue allocation, tribal/state dynamics, and retail-casino opposition have kept online casino play off the board.

The absence of iGaming is notable because Maryland already runs a strong retail casino sector - meaning lawmakers have a natural foundation if they ever choose to move forward.

For now, players who want online casino-style play must look to sweepstakes platforms or travel to neighboring states with fully regulated iGaming.

Maryland’s gambling laws don’t restrict federally compliant sweepstakes products, allowing social sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos to function legally under prize-based rules rather than gambling licenses. These platforms use dual-currency systems and sweepstakes compliance structures to offer contests and casino-style gameplay that the state’s regulated operators can’t provide.

For bettors, this creates a meaningful alternative lane - especially for players looking for softer pricing, contest formats, or online casino-style play in a state where real-money iGaming remains off-limits.

Maryland sportsbooks cannot offer wagers on political outcomes, entertainment awards, or economic indicators. But federally regulated prediction markets operate outside state gambling law, giving residents a lawful way to speculate on elections, macroeconomic events, cultural outcomes, and other real-world indicators.

For players, prediction markets offer something sportsbooks never will: a way to trade on real-world events that fall completely outside the sports ecosystem.