Mobile sportsbooks will launch in Maryland on Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET, Gov. Larry Hogan announced at a Tuesday press conference with Maryland Lottery Director John Martin.
Wednesday’s launch comes after Monday’s controlled demonstrations, which allowed seven sportsbook operators to make their mobile platforms available to Marylanders from 2-10 p.m. ET:
Those seven are all expected to launch Wednesday morning without restrictions. Many of those operators are offering Maryland bettors special promotions.
Maryland sports betting offers live now
Hogan pleased, shares revenue projections
Marylanders legalized sports betting through referendum in 2020. Two years later, they finally have mobile sports betting. A handful of retail sportsbooks went live in December 2021.
Despite the lengthy wait for legal mobile sports wagering — one Hogan complained about this summer — the governor is pleased that the wait is finally over.
“Took longer than it should have, but we’re excited that this launch is in time for fans to place their bets on all the Thanksgiving Day NFL action, college football rivalry weekend, this week’s slate of NBA games, the 2022 World Cup, and this Sunday’s Ravens and Commanders games,” Hogan said.
Hogan also briefly discussed revenue projections, saying he expects mobile betting to drastically increase tax revenue generation in future years.
“It’s anticipated to bring up to $30 million in revenue next year, and that total is expected to reach $100 million in 2027,” Hogan said.
Maryland taxes sports betting revenue at 15%, and tax revenue for the state is directed to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education in the state.
More mobile operators coming
Betfred, betPARX, and Fanatics have been awarded mobile sports betting licenses by the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, but those three entities aren’t ready to launch Wednesday. They’re expected to launch in early 2023.
Martin shared Tuesday that the lottery will meet on Dec. 1 to discuss three additional mobile sports betting operators. The meeting will determine if those three applicants are qualified for mobile wagering licenses. There are still an additional eight mobile applicants after those three expected to soon receive qualification hearings.
“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 15-20 facility licenses,” Martin said. “At that time we forecast annual tax revenue to be in that $20-30 million range … contributing of course to the Blueprint for Maryland Future Fund.”