The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission awarded a pair of mobile sports betting licenses Wednesday. Bally Bet and WynnBET each moved one step closer to launching in Maryland, although they aren’t yet cleared to go live.
Each mobile sportsbook operator was awarded a license, and now they’ll need to go through controlled demonstrations with the Maryland Lottery before being allowed to launch. It’s unclear when the two operators will go through these demos.
Bally Bet and WynnBET join Betfred, betPARX, and Fanatics as mobile operators expected to launch in Maryland in the near future. Maryland bettors could have access to up to roughly 20 mobile sportsbooks by the end of 2023.
Long Shot’s Hagerstown was awarded a sports wagering facility license at Wednesday’s SWARC meeting. There are currently nine retail sportsbooks operating in Maryland, including a Long Shot’s in Frederick. The Long Shot’s Hagerstown retail sportsbook launch does not seem imminent.
Successful mobile launch
Seven mobile operators (Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet) launched in Maryland without restrictions on Nov. 23. Those sportsbooks took advantage of a busy few days in the sports calendar, as Marylanders wagered over $200 million in November.
“Mobile sports wagering has accounted for the bulk of the sports wagers placed in November, and we’re eager to see what the December numbers will look like,” SWARC Chairman Thomas Brandt said Wednesday.
DraftKings and FanDuel were the two mobile platforms most wagered on by sports bettors in the state last month. The two operators are well-known nationally, and they’re each available in Maryland’s neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Promotional play, often in the form of free bets, accounted for over $60 million of the handle, as operators aggressively used sign-up offers to engage customers in Maryland.
