When will sports betting be legal in Maryland?
Sports betting is not legal in Maryland, but a bill to change that will be on the November 2020 ballot. Before submitting, the House made an addition to how the referendum question would appear on the ballot, making it look something like this:
"Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and event betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?"
Of course, even if it passes, lawmakers will have to draw up more specifics in relation to online and in-person betting, which means the best-case scenario for a launch date may be late 2021. The overall support of legalized sports betting has been soft in recent polls, though the recent wording change could help matters.
Like most states, Daily Fantasy Sports and horse racing betting are legal in Maryland. Fantasy sports were officially legalized in 2012, but regulations were added in 2017, which included the prohibition of contests based on amateur or college sports.