Maryland Gambling
What types of gambling are legal in Maryland?
Maryland residents and visitors will enjoy a wide variety of games. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, table games, a state lottery, horse racing and charitable gaming. Online options include horse racing, fantasy sports and lotto subscriptions.
- Sports betting: retail sportsbooks and online sports betting
- Daily fantasy sports (online only)
- Horse racing (live, off-track and mobile)
- Lottery (scratch-offs, keno and lotto sales at retailers, lotto subscriptions on lottery website)
- Slots, poker, video poker and table games (casinos)
- Bingo, raffles and casino nights (only at registered charities)
Legal Maryland Gambling Sites
21+ and present in MD. Please play responsibly. For help visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Maryland Online Gambling
Legal online gambling options in Maryland include:
- Sports betting
- Advance deposit wagering (online horse racing betting)
- Maryland Lottery ticket subscriptions online
- Daily fantasy sports
Online Gambling Laws in Maryland
There are no laws that specifically target online gambling in Maryland. However, any form of gambling must be licensed to be legal. This leaves out offshore gaming sites because those are not licensed by the state.
Horseracing and the state lottery did not require a change of law to move online. These were done by a change of regulations by the governing body. Players must be at least 18 years of age.
Daily fantasy sports contests were legalized through a 2012 law that essentially mirrored the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which exempted fantasy sports. In 2017, the state comptroller’s office released regulations for it. It included a minimum age of 18, segregated player funds, a ban on college sports and a daily deposit limit.
Maryland Casinos
There are six casinos in Maryland. These are regulated by the state lottery. Hollywood Casino Perryville was the first. It opened on September 17, 2010. It was followed by Ocean Downs a few months later. The other Maryland casinos are Maryland Live, Rocky Gap, Horseshoe and MGM National Harbor.
All typical games are legal in Maryland casinos. This includes slots, video poker and live and electronic table games, including poker. There are no bet limits at Maryland casinos. There are a combined 12,000 slots and 600 tables between the six Maryland casinos.
Casino Laws in Maryland
A 2007 special session of the Maryland Legislature produced a ballot initiative to legalize casinos. On November 4, 2008, voters approved Question 2 by a 59 to 41 margin. The law permitted five casinos in the state. In 2012, voters approved a sixth Maryland casino location. Question 7, which passed 52 to 48, also added table games to Maryland casinos. Originally, only slots, video poker and electronic table games were permitted. Casino players must be at least 21 years of age.
A ballot initiative to permit the state legislature sole discretion to expand gambling is expected to hit the 2020 ballot. It still must pass the house. It passed the state senate by a 46-1 vote.
Gross gaming revenues are taxed based on the type of device. Slots, video poker and electronic table games are taxed at a rate of 67 percent. Live table games and poker have a 20 percent tax rate.
Maryland Sports Betting
Maryland legalized sports betting after voters overwhelmingly approved the activity in the 2020 referendum, and the first retail sportsbooks opened in December 2021.
After an unexpectedly long delay, the first Maryland sports betting apps launched in November 2022. To bet online in Maryland, eligible bettors must be:
- 21 or older
- Physically located within state lines
The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) regulates all sports betting activities in Maryland.
Maryland Sports Betting Timeline
- November 4, 2020: Marylanders vote in unison to approve statewide retail and online sports betting. 1.23 million voters answered “Yes” on Question 2.
- April 12, 2021: The Senate and House members approved HB 940 to make online and retail sports betting legal in the Free State on this date. The bill allows the state to issue at least 60 online sports betting licenses and retail betting licenses. The HB 940 bill became law on June 1, 2021.
- August 27, 2021: The state publishes the new laws to legalize online sports betting in the Maryland Register. In return, this triggered the 30-day window for public participation as the state law demands.
- October 6, 2021: Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel, and MGM National Harbor receive sports betting licenses from Maryland Lottery and Gaming.
- December 9, 2021: John Martin, Director of Maryland Lottery & Gaming, said that the online gambling market would probably open in mid-to-end 2022 and the state will have legalized sports betting. The official was upbeat about this market launching before the September NFL season. Also, Governor Larry Hogan made the first legal sports wager in Maryland at MGM National Harbor on this day.
- January 10, 2022: The financial results for the retail Maryland sports betting market showed $16.55 million in sports betting revenue collected by the five retailers that opened operations in December. The total tax collection for public education was $469,297.
- April 11, 2022: Maryland sports betting operators rake in $3.9 million in Gross Revenue from sports bets, thanks to March Madness. The financial report reveals that Maryland retail sportsbooks collected a massive $31 million just from people placing a sports bet in March alone.
- April 21, 2022: Two additional retail bookmakers get approval from Maryland Lottery & Gaming to offer their services. The licenses are issued before findings by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) are made public.
- May 6, 2022: Jason Robins, DraftKings CEO, reveals that the mobile sports betting app plans to go live in Maryland, probably before the 2022 NFL season.
- June 23, 2022: Pressure continues to mount on the state to legalize sports betting and approve Maryland sportsbooks. As a result, Fanatics became the first online sportsbook to launch before the NFL season.
- July 12, 2022: SWARC approved applications and regulations that don’t include gender and race-based criteria for online gambling licenses. The idea is to encourage everyone to participate in the Maryland sports betting market.
- August 2, 2022: Bingo World partners BetRivers Sportsbook to open the sixth retail betting venue in Maryland. Also, it’s the state’s first betting venue without casino services.
- November 23, 2022: Mobile and online betting officially goes live in the state, with 6 sportsbooks getting the green light to accept online bets.
Sports Betting Laws in Maryland
Maryland Criminal Code 12-102 states that making a bet or accepting one is a crime in the state. Anyone found guilty of this is subject to a fine of up to $1,000 and six to twelve months in prison.
Maryland Poker
There are four live poker rooms in Maryland. These range from a small room at Hollywood Casino in Perryville to large, full-service rooms at MGM National Harbor and Maryland Live. There is a total of 127 tables in the state. There are no game or bet limits.
Poker Laws in Maryland
Live poker was legalized through a statewide referendum that expanded gambling in 2012. Question 7 won by a 52 to 48 margin. It expanded the number of casinos in the state to six and permitted table games and live poker to compliment the existing slots and video poker. Online poker is not legal in Maryland.
Poker players must be at least 21 years of age. The state taxes rake at a rate of 20 percent.
Maryland Daily Fantasy Sports
Fantasy sports are legal in Maryland. It was the first state to enact fantasy sports regulations. All major operators accept players from the state. These sites include DraftKings, FanDuel, Fantasy Draft and Yahoo. All contests must involve professional sports.
Fantasy Sports Laws in Maryland
On May 2, 2012, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a law that added the definition of online fantasy competitions to criminal code exemptions. The language of Maryland Criminal Code 12-114 mirrors the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The law’s vague language led to some confusion in the state as to whether daily fantasy sports contests were meant to be included. In 2017, the state comptroller announced regulations for the industry. This included a minimum age of 18 years to play, deposit limits and a ban on college sports contests.
Maryland Lottery
The Maryland Lottery offers a large menu of games. Scratch-off tickets sell from $1 to $30. Keno tickets are available from $1 to $20. Keno drawings are held every three minutes and a half minutes most hours of the day. There is Fast Play, a digital instant game, and a virtual racing game called Racetrax. There are eight lotto drawings held by the Maryland Lottery. Three are multi-state.
Interstate Maryland Lotto Drawings
- Cash for Life
- Mega Millions
- Powerball
Intrastate Maryland Lotto Drawings
- Pick 3
- Pick 4
- Bonus Match 5
- Multi-Match
- 5 Card Cash
Maryland Lottery Laws
Maryland voters approved the Maryland State Lottery Exception Amendment, Question 2 on November 7, 1972. This gave a state-run lottery an exemption from the constitutional ban. The first tickets were sold on May 15, 1973.
Maryland Horse Racing Betting
There are three live horse racing tracks in Maryland. These are at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and the Maryland State Fair. There are about 190 race days a year. Most are at Laurel Park.
There are three off-track betting parlors in Maryland. These are at Horseshoe Casino and two sports bars. Mobile bets on races may be made on the TVG app.
Maryland Horse Racing Laws
Horseracing’s roots date to before Maryland becoming a state. Bets were made on horses there during its colonial days well into its early statehood. It became a regulated activity of pari-mutuel betting in 1870 when Pimlico Race Course opened its doors.
Bets may be made on live and simulcast races. Off-track betting is permitted at licensed establishments, including sports bars. Mobile bets may be made on TVG. Pari-mutuel bettors must be at least 18 years of age.
Maryland racing laws are covered in two parts. You will find it in Maryland Criminal Codes 11-101 and 11-213.
Maryland Esports Betting
Betting on eSports is illegal for observers in Maryland in any commercial setting. Participants and friends making bets on it would fall under the social gaming law.
Maryland Skill Games
Maryland Criminal Code 12-101 defines an illegal wager as one that is not licensed and includes betting or accepting wagers on bingo, sports, jai alai, raffles, gaming devices and games of chance. This leaves little in the way of legal unlicensed gambling unless it is done expressly through exceptions, such as charities and the state lottery.
Traditional games of skill are considered illegal in Maryland. This include GSN’s Worldwinner. Sweepstakes sites, such as WPT Online, may accept players from Maryland.
Skill-based gaming machines are legal at the state’s casinos for cash prizes. Arcades may offer these games for non-cash prizes.
Maryland Charity Gambling Law
Bingos, charities and casino nights are permitted under Maryland’s charity gaming laws. It is up to each county to decide the best fit. A total of 21 of the 24 counties permit the games. Players in bingo games and raffles must be at least 18 years of age. Casino night participants must be at least 21. Volunteers must be at least 18 for any charitable gaming activity. No prize’s value may exceed $500.
Maryland Gaming Regulator Directory
- Maryland Lottery
- Maryland Racing Commission
- Maryland Gaming Control Agency
- Charitable gaming regulated at county level