Maryland Sports Betting Industry

Maryland Sports Betting Skyrockets to $442.5 Million in September

By Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 28 October 2023

Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

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According to recent figures, Maryland sports betting figures skyrocketed in September. The state’s sports betting scene has shown a lot of resilience, particularly during the traditionally slower summer months.

With the start of the football season, and with increased optimism surrounding the Baltimore Ravens, the state’s sports betting handle surged to an impressive $442.5 million in September. This reflects a considerable increase of $178 million compared to August.

September’s figures indicate a 68 percent Increase from the $264 million handle in August. The onset of the NFL season played a big part in this surge.

Football enthusiasts, who have been betting on teams like the Ravens and Commanders, contributed almost $76 million. However, parlay bets nearly doubled this, with a significant $150.3 million. The total of parlay bets and NFL wagers accounted for 51.2% of all sports bets in September.

New Operators Played a Role in Increase

While the NFL had a big influence on the September figures, another boost came from two new retail sports betting operators entering Maryland’s market.

Canton Gaming, in partnership with Parx Interactive, and Whitman Gaming, alongside FanDuel, launched their operations at the start of September, a day after one another. The two operators generated handles of $670,000 and $477,000 respectively.

According to Play Maryland:

The year-over-year growth of the Maryland sports betting market has been significant. In September 2022, there was still no mobile sports wagering and just seven retail operators. Now, there are 13 retail sports operators and 12 mobile sportsbooks active in the state.

As is the case in other sports betting states, mobile betting was the preferred method used, with nearly $421 million in online wagers. This compared to $21.5 million placed through in-person betting.

Leading the online sports betting market was Live! Casino, commanding a significant $175 million in bets. In close second was DraftKings Maryland with over $154 million. BetMGM Maryland completed the top three with its $37 million handle. Combined, these three operators represented almost 87 percent of all September bets.

MGM National Harbor Leads Retail Betting Sector

In the retail sector, MGM National Harbor was the leading performer with $6.9 million in bets. In second place was Live! Casino with $5.9 million, and the Horseshoe Casino came in at third place with $2.5 million.

Maryland imposes a 15 percent sports betting tax, and this is calculated on the taxable win, which is the remainder after payouts and promotions. September’s taxable win stood at $21.5 million, translating to over $3.2 million in tax contributions.

Leading the way in terms of tax contributions was Live! Casino, contributing almost $115,000 from its retail sector and $1.7 million from online wagers.

The state directs tax revenues from sports betting to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund. These funds are then used to boost public education programs across Maryland.

Maryland’s sports betting industry has enjoyed great success, with September’s figures adding to this. The NFL season combined with new operators and the popularity of mobile betting means that the state is reaping the benefits.