While the wait for legal mobile sports betting options continues for Marylanders, a sixth retail sportsbook became available this week, as Rush Street Interactive partnered with Baltimore’s Bingo World to officially launch the BetRivers sportsbook on Monday, becoming the first non-casino sportsbook in Maryland.
“Being the first non-casino retail sportsbook in Maryland is a testament to both the RSI and Bingo World teams collaborating and working with the Maryland Lottery Gaming Control Agency to bring this launch forward,” Adam Glass, BetRivers’ director of business-to-business services, told Sports Handle via email. “While many other operators seem disinterested in retail sportsbooks, RSI believes retail over the long term is a great business and helps to grow player base.”
Rush Street Interactive $RSI, launches in-person sports betting at the BetRivers Sportsbook at Bingo World (Baltimore, MD). Super Bowl Champion and Former Baltimore Ravens Qadry "the Missile" Ismail Places First Bethttps://t.co/Yk2y5RT5RN pic.twitter.com/plySjNgAVO
— Rush Street Interactive (@RSInteractive_) August 1, 2022
Bingo World President Randy Clemens shared similar excitement about the launch in a press release.
“We are so excited and honored to be the first operator outside of a casino to offer Maryland residents a retail sportsbook,” Clemens said. “Together with our partners at RSI, we can offer bettors a world-class in-person sports betting experience at the BetRivers sportsbook and lounge.
BetRivers’ new location becomes the second retail sportsbook in the Baltimore area, joining Horseshoe Casino (Caesars Sportsbook). The other four brick-and-mortar sportsbooks currently live in Maryland are Hollywood Casino Perryville (Barstool Sportsbook), MGM National Harbor (BetMGM), Live! Casino (FanDuel), and Ocean Downs Casino (TwinSpires).
Other non-casino sportsbooks coming
Long Shot’s, an off-track betting location in Frederick, recently announced a partnership with Betfred. Long Shot’s expects to open a temporary retail sportsbook by football season, with its permanent sportsbook expected to open in early 2023. The 8,800-square-foot space will include theater-style seating for customers to enjoy.
“We were at the forefront of bringing sports betting to Maryland and specifically Frederick,” Long Shot’s CEO Alyse Cohen said in a release. “We are thrilled to open a sportsbook at Long Shot’s in partnership with Betfred Sports. We are proud that Long Shot’s is one of the premier off-track betting locations in the state and we look forward to achieving similar success with sports wagering. Long Shot’s will not only boost the local economy, but contribute to enhancing the education of our students.”
Betfred will open a retail sportsbook in Maryland at Long Shot's OTB in Frederick, the company announced earlier today; the temporary book is expected to open during the 2022 football season; Betfred also expects to launch online sports betting in MD once approved
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) July 6, 2022
Riverboat-on-the-Potomac (PointsBet) and Greenmount Station each have retail sports wagering facility licenses, and each location is expected to launch in the “near future,” according to the Maryland Lottery.
Mobile coming soon?
A mobile sports betting launch in Maryland is still likely at least a month away. The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission meets on Aug. 17, and that meeting could lead to a more concrete timeline for the expected launch of legal mobile sportsbooks.
Gov. Larry Hogan recently called out the SWARC for its slow march toward a mobile launch, urging the commission to allow mobile sportsbooks to go live by the start of the 2022 NFL season. That timeline feels optimistic, as a public comment period on sports betting rules will last through Aug. 29. Barring a late push, launching before Sept. 8 is highly unlikely.
Given the current information, mobile sportsbooks will probably go live in Maryland sometime during the NFL season rather than before Week 1.
