Unfortunately, Maryland’s legal sports betting market won’t be ready for blast-off in time for the 2021-2022 NFL season kick-off. The state’s gaming watchdog revealed that it needs more time to draw regulations for an effective and efficient launch.
Earlier this year, legislators in Maryland overwhelmingly legalized retail and online sports betting, with the governor’s signature coming on May 18th. Given that the sports betting regulation law was passed as an emergency measure, it came into effect right after receiving Governor Larry Hogan’s signature. So, on June 1st, a little over 6 months after voters okayed sports betting expansion on the ballot, legal sports betting became legal in the Old Line State.
But then, even though sports betting technically became legal in Maryland about 10 weeks ago, nothing can really move forward before the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) sets up a framework of how the market will be run. Mid last month, the gaming ombudsman approved the state’s draft sports betting regulations which shall then be published in the Maryland Register before they are put forth for public review.
Following the public participation period, Maryland’s gaming watchdog will have 30 days to deliberate on any proposals relayed by the public and then prepare a final draft of the rules. The public comment period is likely going to kick off later this month. From there, the plan was for the MLGCA to welcome license applications and grant sportsbook operators authority to launch their services in the state.
Long Odds for Maryland’s Sports Betting September Debut
Initially, the plan for legislators when they were discussing regulated sports betting in the state was for a launch in September, alongside the NFL 2021-2022 season: or in time for the World Series the following month.
However, from how the events have turned out, it appears that sports betting fans in the Old Line State will miss out on the start of the NFL season as the MLGCA won’t have gotten things done by then. An October debut is also unlikely as the MLGCA has indicated that it needs some more time to draw out the rules that will guide sports betting industry operations. The MLGCA released an official statement on the matter to say;
Quote“The Sports Wagering Law requires [the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency] to regulate sports wagering ‘to the same extent’ that it regulates casino gaming. For both casinos and sports wagering, the vetting of operators to determine if they qualify for licenses requires a meticulous and thorough process. MLGCA will expedite the process to the best of its ability while fulfilling its obligation to ensure that applicants demonstrate the necessary integrity and financial stability to be licensed.”
In a recent interview as reported by Maryland Matters – a local media publication, Gov. Hogan disclosed that he was putting pressure on the MLGCA to complete the process as fast as possible. The governor was further quoted saying:
Quote“They said it’s just impossible to get it done by the start of football season. I pressed them pretty hard about making sure we get it done at least by the end of football season when all the betting takes place, really — in the playoffs and the Super Bowl,”
17 Retail Sports Betting Locations May Be Allowed to Launch Operations This Fall
According to information published on the MLGCA’s website, 17 land-based sports betting venues may receive approval to make their sports betting debut this fall. Part of the statement published on the website reads;
Quote“Some of the entities named in the Sports Wagering Law may have their brick-and-mortar sports wagering operations up and running during the fall of 2021. For a business that is not named in the Sports Wagering Law, the review by SWARC and a licensing background investigation could take between 12 and 24 months from May 2021.”
Per this statement, the retail locations that were indicated in the legal sports betting bill that legislators okayed in May include:
The newly formed Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC), which held its first official meeting today in Annapolis, is tasked with awarding licenses as part of Maryland’s new two-step license approval process for sports betting operators. Meanwhile, the MLGCA’s responsibility in the two-tier procedure will be to conduct financial and criminal background checks to ensure that only operators with a clean slate are picked.
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