Amendments of the Maryland Sports Betting Regulations Expected Soon

Sports Betting Regulations Laws & Regulations

Sports Betting Regulations Published in Maryland

By Lisa Spencer Senior Editor Updated: 05 September 2022

Lisa Spencer Senior Editor

As a Senior Editor at Betting.US, Lisa Spencer is a valuable member of our expert team. With a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Lisa is adept in gambling theory and analyzing odds. She contributes by writing online sportsbook reviews and finding competitive markets to help our readers make an informed choice.

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Regulators in Maryland have now published sports betting regulations for the state, which brings it one step closer to launching mobile sports betting in the early part of 2023. The set of approved regulations was published by the Maryland Sports Wagering Applications Review Commission (SWARC).

The publication of the regulations has marked the start of a 30-day period for comments, and they will govern an application process that will see up to 60 mobile sports betting licenses being awarded to operators. In addition, there will be up to 30 Class B retail licenses. Comments can now be made relating to the regulations until September 26th.

The regulation publication read:

The purpose of this action is to propose a new subtitle, COMAR 36.11, that explains the unique role of the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) in awarding competitive Class B-1 and Class B-2 sports wagering facility licenses, and all mobile sports wagering licenses.

It went on to state that all applicants looking to get a sports wagering license would need to apply to the MLGCC so that checks could be carried out to determine eligibility. After this, SWARC will take the next step of deciding which applicants are awarded licenses.

An End to the Delays?

Retail sports betting launched in Maryland in December last year, but there has been a lot of frustration due to the delays experienced with mobile sports betting. In addition to sports fans missing out on the convenience of mobile betting, it has also led to the state missing out on potentially huge amounts of revenue.

The rollout of mobile sports betting has experienced a lot of delays over recent months, and this has caused frustration and disappointment for many. Some had been hoping for mobile betting to be up and running later this year, but it is now likely to be the early part of next year. Many are now hoping that the spate of delays has come to an end and that Maryland will soon be ready to launch mobile sports betting.

Hopes for Launch Before Super Bowl

The good news is that the state is aiming to have everything up and running by one of next year’s major sporting events, the Super Bowl 2023. So, while mobile sports betting might not be launched in time to catch any of the football regular season, it should still in place be in time for other key sports events.

If everything does go to plan, sports fans should be able to look forward to the ability to place mobile bets by the time the Super Bowl comes around.

For many, this will have been a long time coming, and although there is no guarantee that this is when mobile betting will launch, many believe that it is highly likely that everything will be ready to launch early next year.

Of course, the state will also be able to look forward to the benefits of increased income from the fees and taxation for mobile betting. According to SWARC, applicants will be charged a non-refundable fee of $500,000 for a license, and this will bring in a huge amount for the state.