OXON HILL, Md. — After more than a year of Maryland leaders pushing to launch sports betting in the state, it's looking like their efforts will finally come to fruition, hitting an informal target of allowing Marylanders to bet on NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl.
"Pending regulatory approval, MGM National Harbor and BetMGM will accept the state’s first sports wagers on Thursday, Dec.9," a press release from MGM said Tuesday.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has been an ardent supporter of legalizing sports betting in the state, and former Washington Football Team quarterback Joe Theismann will place the Free State's first legal sports bets.
“No one is pushing harder than I am to get sports betting up and running here in the State of Maryland.," Hogan said in October.
The path to sports betting in Maryland has been a long and legally winding one. Maryland joined Virginia and D.C. in legalizing sports betting when voters passed ballot Question 2 during the 2020 election.
Betting on sports in most states was illegal under federal law until the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the federal law was unconstitutional, offering states the opportunity to authorize sports betting.
Maryland lawmakers approved statewide sports betting legislation at the end of a session back in April. Gov. Hogan, who has been ardently pro-sports gambling since his election, subsequently signed it into law.
On Nov. 18, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission (MLGCC) approved five Maryland casinos to offer person wagering on sports.
The Sportsbooks and the casinos they'll partner with are:
- Barstool Sports, partner of Hollywood Casino in Perryville
- Caesars Sportsbook, partner of Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore
- FanDuel Sportsbook, partner of Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover
- BetMGM, partner of MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill
- TwinSpires, partner of Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin
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