Maryland

Not only is sports betting legal in Maryland, but the Old Line State has the potential to hold the record for the most online and retail sportsbooks available in one state. As it stands right now, bettors have their choice of 11 online sportsbooks, with plenty more licenses available.

There aren’t many restrictions on sports betting in the Old Line State. Residents are fully allowed to wager on in-state colleges and all professional sports. While there are plenty of sportsbooks to choose from, if a resident prefers to stick with daily fantasy sports, they can find an excellent range of DFS apps in the state, thanks to HB 940, which legalized them in 2021.

Over the years, daily fantasy sports apps made available in Maryland include OwnersBox, Underdog, FanDuel DFS, DraftKings DFS, SuperDraft, and plenty more.

Aside from horse racing being legal, residents also have the option to wager on eSports, which is not available in a lot of states. This means only politics and entertainment events are off-limits to bet on in MD.

Online sports betting in The Old Line State

When legal sports betting was on the 2020 ballot, Maryland voters decided to vote in favor of it. As a result, after the state decided to expand the number of licenses it could offer at one time, Governor Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. signed HB 940 into law in May 2021.

Despite the state's sports betting bill being passed and retail sports betting going live in 2021, online sports betting did not go live in MD until November 23, 2022. Once the bill was passed, the Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission (SWARC) had its hands full when handing out retail licenses, so mobile betting licenses were put on the back burner for an extended period.

It wasn’t until September 2022 that SWARC set a deadline for initial applications for an online operator license in the state. They decided to review and award licenses as they came in to speed up the process of launching mobile betting. By the time early November rolled around, SWARC was able to hand out ten licenses to mobile operators.

These licenses were eventually handed out to some of the most prominent operators in the market, including BetMGM, FanDuel, PointsBet, Barstool Sportsbook (at the time), and more. Once the licenses were handed out, residents did not need to wait long until online sports betting was live.

With the initial licenses handed out in 2022, the state has continually seen movement into and out of the market as sportsbooks like Crab Sports, BetFred, and SuperBook became available to bettors in 2023. Plenty more licenses are available in MD, so residents could have even more variety in the coming years.

All legal MD sports betting apps in 2025 (from newest to oldest):

Recently Closed Online Sportsbooks

Sports betting & gambling legislation in MD

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has set the legal sports betting age in Maryland at 21. This age limit applies to both online and retail wagers. Remote registration for the state's wide range of sports betting apps is available, but it is essential that bettors are within state lines when looking to place a bet on those apps.

Gambling winnings in Maryland are subject to a tax, but that tax rate will vary between 2% and 5.75% depending on the individual's tax bracket. Those figures are strictly for state tax, as all winnings are also subject to the standard 24% federal tax on winnings.

With local professional sports teams fully intertwined into the sports betting web, the only thing left for the state to discuss is the legality of iGaming. These discussions look to be happening sooner rather than later, with Senator Ron Watson likely to push iGaming legislation during 2024 legislative sessions. Since the lottery is legal in the state, the only two gambling-related products that could be added to the state market are online casinos and online poker.

Most recent updates from the MD sports betting scene

• January 13, 2025: With a win over the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens will head to Buffalo for the divisional round where they have been bet to (-1.5) point favorites on DraftKings.

• January 7, 2025: In the first round of the NFL playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens will host the Pittsburgh Steelers as (-10) point favorites.

• December 30, 2024: If the Baltimore Ravens can beat the Cleveland Browns as (-18) point favorites in week 18, they will win the AFC North division.

• December 20, 2024: In a crucial AFC North game, the Baltimore Ravens are set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers as (-6.5) point favorites.

• December 9, 2024: The Baltimore Ravens will come off their bye week to play the Giants as (-14.5) road favorites.

• December 2, 2024: With a loss to the Eagles at home, the Baltimore Ravens are now (+450) to win the AFC and (+125) to win the AFC North.

• November 26, 2024: Following their win on Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens will return home to host the Philadelphia Eagles as (-3) point favorites.

• November 18, 2024: Legendz Social Sportsbook debuts in 43 US states, including Maryland, offering high RTP and props for players 18+. Free play, daily bonuses, and real prize redemptions enhance the betting experience across multiple sports.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Currently, there are 13 retail sports betting locations in Maryland. However, the state sports betting bill allows 47 retail sportsbook licenses to be handed out. While that number is not close to being reached, residents still have an excellent range of retail options, including casinos, professional stadiums, and racetracks.

Some notable partnerships between operators and retail locations include Fanatics Sportsbook and FedEx Field (home of the Washington Commanders), Caesars Sportsbook and the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino, and Parx with the Green Turtle restaurant.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Maryland is part of a strong group of northeastern states that have legalized sports betting. Residents of MD could venture into any of their surrounding states and still be able to find some form of sports betting no matter which direction they went.

You can read up on the specific laws and sportsbooks that operate in Maryland’s surrounding states by clicking on them below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Maryland's economy

Maryland is the place to be if you want variety in the online sports betting market. While there are 13 online operators currently active in the state, the state allows up to 60 online licenses to be active. For retail betting, the number of licenses that could be handed out rises to 107.

The Sports Wagering Application and Review Commission is the official group that reviews and issues these licenses when they are applied for. Depending on the license, the fee for operators can range from $50,000 to $2 million. The state has set the tax rate at 15% for both online and retail.

The state has done well in terms of betting handle, revenue, and tax income with its current number of operators, and Maryland has put up big numbers since sports betting became legal towards the tail end of 2021. In the Old Line State's first full year of legalized sports betting, 2022, they managed a little under $1 billion in handle, close to $150 million in revenue, and over $6 million in tax income.

In 2023, these same figures rose to $4.6 billion (handle), $514 million (revenue), and $46 million (tax income), and a year later, all these high marks were crossed already in October 2024. The MD betting market has thus grown by three-digit year-over-year figures. While this pace will for sure settle down in the future, 2025 should be another profitable year for both the state itself and also for legal sportsbook operators.

Maryland sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: November 2024 ($639,867,400)

• Revenue: November 2024 ($82,338,595)

• Tax income: November 2024 ($11,798,035)

Latest MD sports betting revenue report breakdown (December 2024)

• Total betting handle: $637,301,168

  • Mobile betting handle: $619,458,099

  • Retail betting handle: $17,843,068

• Winnings Paid to Players: $591,678,179

  • Hold: 7.2%

• Gross revenue: $45,622,988

  • Adjusted (taxable) revenue: $43,405,101

• Tax revenue for the state: $6,510,765

  • Tax share from mobile sports betting: $6,482,152

  • Tax share from retail wagering: $28,613

Reported by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming.

What did MD bettors wager the most in Dec. 2024?

1. NFL / Pro football ($121.8m placed bets)

2. NBA / Pro basketball ($103.7m)

3. College basketball ($28.1m)

4. College football ($27.5m)

5. Soccer ($16.2m)

6. Tennis ($15.4m)

7. Hockey ($11.8m)

8. Golf ($400,648)

9. MLB / Pro baseball ($185,542)

10. Motor sports ($35,324)

11. All other sports ($56.9m)

Top performing sportsbook apps in the state in December 2024:

1. FanDuel (Handle: $285.3m, Revenue: $24.7m)

2. DraftKings (Handle: $182.8m, Revenue: $12.7m)

3. BetMGM (Handle: $52.4m, Revenue: $3.1m)

4. Fanatics (Handle: $40.7m, Revenue: $2.4m)

5. Caesars (Handle: $27.2m, Revenue: $1.3m)

6. ESPN Bet (Handle: $17.5m, Revenue: $295,396)

7. BetRivers (Handle: $7.7m, Revenue: $434,170)

8. Bally (Handle: $3.3m, Revenue: $0)

9. BetPARX (Handle: $1.2m, Revenue: $0)

10. Crab Sports (Handle: $877,987, Revenue: $33,193)

11. LetsBetMD (Handle: $259,373, Revenue: $1,307)

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

MD sports betting revenue in 2024

You can check below how the Maryland sports betting scene has evolved, or declined, by the numbers in the 2024 calendar year. We've gathered the monthly total handle, revenue, and tax income data in the following table, showing how such figures have changed compared to the previous month (bracketed percentage).

Yearly revenue data