A Senate bill proposing the repeal of online sports betting is being discussed, while another bill has lawmakers debating the merits of expanding Maryland’s gaming footprint into online casino gambling.
Mobile Sports Betting Repeal
Senate Bill 1033, proposed by Maryland Senator Joanne Benson, would repeal the existing mobile sports betting bill and halt the industry that launched in November 2022. However, the repeal would not affect retail sportsbooks, and Marylanders would be allowed to wager at those brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
Maryland is now the second state considering the elimination of mobile sports betting following a similar push by a Vermont lawmaker. Digital sports betting numbers tower above those generated by retail sportsbooks.
For example, in January 2025, online sportsbooks in the Old Line State generated $601.3 million in accepted wagers compared to only $17.6 million derived from retail sportsbooks. As a result, Maryland’s tax coffers collected $8.1 million of mobile sportsbooks’ revenues while retail sportsbooks delivered just shy of $161,000 for the month.
Regressive Taxation or Recreational Fun?
The recent trend in repealing can best be summarized by Vermont Representative Thomas Stevens, who authored his own repeal bill, stating, “State-sanctioned gaming functions as a camouflaged form of regressive taxation. It disproportionately harms low-income and working families who are forced into desperate financial decisions.”
The counterargument to eliminating the mobile sports betting industry is that those who are adversely impacted to the point of seeking help for gambling addiction comprise approximately 5% of the population, while 95% enjoy the recreational nature of the activity.
It would also deprive states of a new and significant tax revenue stream while driving sports bettors to the unregulated market, devoid of many of the consumer protections found in US-licensed jurisdictions.
iGaming Expansion
In a bit of legislative irony, while one Maryland lawmaker is seeking to contract the mobile gaming industry by eliminating digital sports betting, another is lobbying to expand it by introducing the much more lucrative online casino gambling.
A recent iGaming bill sponsored by Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary proposes to bring online casino gambling to Maryland. The House Ways and Means Committee recently reviewed Atterbeary’s legislation, HB 17, while Senator Ron Watson has also announced a similar bill, SB 340, after both tried unsuccessfully to push through an iGaming proposal in the last session.
Cannibalization of the land-based casino industry is a chief concern among legislators, contending that granting 24 access to a digital casino would lessen foot traffic at brick-and-mortar casinos, causing a decrease in business and job losses.
The other major issue is the potential for a spike in addictive gambling and the financial strife that is normally part and parcel of the problem. Senator Watson said the key to getting a bill passed is to address the mistakes made in previous attempts. According to Watson, educating fellow lawmakers on iGaming and assuaging their concerns is paramount. “I would have done things a whole lot different,” Watson said. “I thought we had our ducks in a row. We needed more.”
