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After a two-year wait, state-wide mobile betting in Maryland is finally set to launch Wednesday (November 23) morning, with seven operators expected to go live.
Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan said during a press conference Tuesday that the seven sportsbooks who received approval from the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) would go live at 9am EST on Wednesday.
The state launched land-based betting in December 2021, but mobile betting remained dormant as regulators worked through the licensing process, the speed of which Hogan remained critical of Tuesday.
“It seemed to be just one excuse and one obstruction after another, and when it came to getting mobile sports betting up and running, they allowed the process to be bogged down and bureaucratic, political and legal delays that threatened to push back the launch of mobile sports betting all the way past the Super Bowl next year,” Hogan said.
“It was inexcusable and completely unacceptable to me, which is why earlier this year, I aggressively pushed for clear and definitive action and to implement a legal transparent framework to place mobile bets in order to finally deliver what Marylanders had voted for.”
SWARC ultimately did elect to allow for a rolling approval of sports-betting applications rather than setting a universal start date, which allowed the most prepared sports-betting operators to get their applications approved sooner. State law permits the commission to issue up to 60 mobile licenses.
Seven sportsbooks are prepared to launch Wednesday: FanDuel; DraftKings; BetMGM; Caesars; Barstool; BetRivers; and PointsBet.
The sportsbooks went through a live limited testing period Monday.
Three additional sportsbooks — Betfred, Parx, and Fanatics — have received licenses, but informed the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Authority that they would not be prepared to launch this week.
Maryland Lottery director John Martin said that part of the staff’s work will now shift to a batch of 11 mobile applicants and six retail applicants, adding that three applicants are expected to be presented for qualification status at the next Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission meeting on December 1, which could allow them to be licensed at the next SWARC meeting on December 14.
“We anticipate that in late spring, early summer of 2023, prior to the kickoff of the next football season, the Maryland market will include up to 21 mobile entities and between 15 and 20 facility licenses,” Martin said.
