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Maryland sports betting to launch this Thursday (updated)

Robert Linnehan

By Robert Linnehan

Published:

Maryland sports betting is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Three casinos – Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore (Caesars), MGM National Harbor (MGM) and Maryland Live! Casino and Hotel (FanDuel) – are undergoing two-days of controlled demonstrations of their sports betting programs this week. If all goes well, the three casinos will begin to offer in-person sports betting at their respective sportsbooks this week, according to the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

(UPDATE) Maryland sports betting to begin Thursday

MGM National Harbor announced in a press release that its sportsbook will officially launch sports betting in the state on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 12:30 p.m. Gov. Larry Hogan and Washington Football legend Joe Theismann will officially place the state’s first bets.

Maryland Live! also announced plans to have Gov. Larry Hogan and Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed launch their FanDuel sportsbook on Friday at 9 a.m., as Tom Fitzgerald of Fox 5 DC reported.

Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore has not announced any formal plans or start times for their potential launch on Friday.

Ocean Downs Casino (TwinSpires) and Hollywood Casino (Barstool) will likely have their controlled demonstrations soon as well. All five casinos were the first in the state to receive their sports betting licenses.

Maryland sports betting future

Two additional casinos, Riverboat on the Potomac and Long Shot’s, recently met the qualifications for a Maryland sports betting license. The two entities were among the 17 initial venues included in the Maryland sports betting bill. Riverboat on the Potomac is located in Colonial Beach, Va., and its planned sports wagering area will be located in Maryland, on the banks of the Potomac River. Long Shot’s is located in Frederick.

Both entities are minority and women owned, so they fit the profile of businesses the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) hopes to include in the state’s sports betting program.

The applications have been forwarded to SWARC, which is responsible for awarding the licenses.

All seven of the mentioned casinos were among 17 entities designated in the approved sports wagering bill to conduct sports wagering operations. In August, SWARC voted unanimously that Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission’s qualification standards would be sufficient to award sports betting licenses to the 17 designated entities.

There is currently no roadmap for Maryland online sports betting.

Robert Linnehan

Regulatory Writer and Editor for XLMedia. Sports. Gambling. Not necessarily in that order. Follow him on Twitter @rlinnehanxl