Maryland Online Sports Betting Set to Launch on Wednesday, Nov. 23
G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images. Pictured: A Maryland Terrapins football helmet.
Legal online sports betting will go live in Maryland next week, the state's lottery announced Thursday. Maryland sports bettors who have waited more than two years since voters legalized it will be able to place bets starting Wednesday, Nov. 23. The precise time the launch will take place has not yet been announced.
Before the licensed sportsbooks in the state can start accepting bets, they must conduct controlled demonstrations. A date for these Maryland Lottery audits has not yet been announced, but they generally take place a couple of days before a full-scale launch to ensure all operations run smoothly.
The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission on Wednesday awarded 10 sportsbook licenses. The 10 online sportsbooks that were awarded licenses and will have a chance to go live soon are:
Some of the sportsbooks will not immediately launch when legal online sports betting goes live next week. Betfred, betPARX, and Fanatics are expected to wait until 2023.
Other books, like BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, and DraftKings, have already started pre-registration offers for bettors to get a head start on signing up before the official launch date. You can check out some of these pre-registration offers here:
According to the SWARC, 21 mobile license applications were submitted during the first application window, meaning there are an additional 11 applications for the group to consider. SWARC has not yet revealed the names of these operators, but they could award more licenses when the group meets again on Dec. 14.
Maryland could eventually license up to 60 online sportsbooks under its 2020 ballot measure, though it could take years for so many to apply.
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