States / Maryland / Sports betting

Is sports betting legal in Maryland?

Yes. In Maryland, online and in-person sports betting are legal (as of Oct 12, 2026). Online betting launched Nov 23, 2022; in-person betting Dec 9, 2021. Operators pay 20% OTHER in tax.

Tax rate

Rules

Minimum age to place a sports wager

21[7]

Wagering on college sports allowed at all

Yes[8]

Wagering on in-state college teams allowed

Yes[7]?An institution of higher education may petition the Commission to bar wagering on its own games; no such carve-out has been confirmed in effect.

Individual college player prop bets allowed

Yes · Proposition bets on an athlete's individual performance statistics are within the statutory definition of a wager-eligible sporting event, with no carve-out for collegiate athletes.[8]

Esports wagering allowed

No · Maryland law clarifies that skill-based esports competitions are not illegal gambling, but no licensed sportsbook may take wagers on esports match outcomes.[9]

New online accounts must be created in person

No · An online sports-wagering account may be registered either in person at a licensed facility or entirely online through a Commission-approved website or app.[10]

Online sports wagering available statewide (not tethered to premises)

Yes · Mobile wagering is available to anyone physically located in Maryland, verified by geolocation, not tied to a casino's premises.[10]

Number of online sportsbooks live as of as_of date

12[1]

Summary of prop-bet restrictions (e.g. no in-game player props)

No statutory restriction on prop-bet types beyond the general wagering rules; an institution of higher education may petition to bar wagering on a specific sport or category of bettor, subject to Commission approval after a public hearing.[7]

Licensed sportsbooks

Pending bills

• SB708 Sports Wagering - Independent Evaluation of Sports Wagering Content - Required · Passed legislature, Apr 7, 2025

All gambling laws in Maryland → · Sports betting in every state →

Sources

1. Legal vs. Illegal Online Gaming · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
2. Seven Mobile Sportsbooks Begin Operations In Maryland · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
3. Where the Money Goes · retrieved Oct 11, 2026

   Page also states the mobile sports-wagering split ("15% of taxable proceeds to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund and 5% to the General Fund"); that the General Fund "provides resources for a variety of programs and services, including public schools"; and that "more than $149 million in Lottery profit" went "across multiple state funds that support various causes," including "public transit initiatives, the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund" and "improvements to the Camden Yards Sports Complex."

4. Maryland Lottery · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

   secondary source only

5. Maryland Sports Betting Turns In Modest First Revenue Report · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

   Direct fetch returned HTTP 403. Dec. 9, 2021 MGM National Harbor retail launch date corroborated via search-engine synthesis of this article plus Vixio's companion coverage of the same event.

6. House Bill 352 (2025) -- Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, enrolled bill text · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

   Redline-style enrolled text: brackets mark deleted text, capitalized text marks added text, amending State Gov't § 9-1E-12(b)(1)(iv) and (2)(II). Also shows the Act's default-effective-date clause (Section 26/37: this Act takes effect June 1, 2025 except for Sections 2-5/9/10 which get other dates), confirming Section 1 (the sports-wagering amendment) is on the June 1, 2025 default.

7. Md. Code, State Gov't § 9-1E-11 - Persons prohibited from wagering; restrictions · retrieved Oct 11, 2026

   Also provides that an institution of higher education may petition the Commission to bar a type of wagering or category of bettor, granted only "on a showing of good cause" after a public hearing; no instance of this being invoked was found.

8. Md. Code, State Gov't § 9-1E-01 - Definitions (Sports Wagering) · retrieved Oct 11, 2026

   Definition of "sporting event" excludes only high school events; collegiate events and individual-performance ("player prop") wagers are not excluded.

9. eSports Competitions Legislation Approved in Maryland · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

   Corroborated via search-engine synthesis citing this article, the Maryland General Assembly's HB 48 (2019) bill-history page, and technical.ly/cnsmaryland.org coverage; not independently re-verified by direct fetch of this exact URL in this pass. Key facts: Chapter 338 of 2019, signed by Gov. Hogan April 30, 2019, effective October 1, 2019; an earlier draft's betting-ban language was removed before passage.

10. Md. Code, State Gov't § 9-1E-09 - Acceptance of sports wagers; online registration · retrieved Oct 11, 2026
11. Legal vs. Illegal Online Gaming · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

    Page lists BetRivers and theScore Bet as licensed sportsbook DBAs with no operator company named and no Maryland casino tether identified in this pass; omitted from the licenses list above pending that identification (gap).

12. Five Sportsbook Operators Are Cleared to Operate in Md. Casinos... Someday · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

    Direct fetch of this exact URL returned HTTP 403 in this research pass. The Nov. 2021 casino-to-sportsbook pairings (Caesars/Horseshoe Baltimore, FanDuel/Live! Hanover, BetMGM/MGM National Harbor, TwinSpires/Ocean Downs; plus betPARX/Greenmount OTB, DraftKings/Timonium Racetrack, and Fanatics/Northwest Stadium as later retail partners) are drawn from a search-engine result summary of this article and companion legalsportsreport.com / wsn.com / rotowire.com guides returned by the same query, not independently re-verified by direct fetch; current (2026) pairings may differ (gap).

13. Where the Money Goes · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
14. Maryland Lottery · retrieved Oct 10, 2026

    secondary source only