Maryland Looking at Legalized Sports Betting

Maryland has became the latest state to explore legal sports betting with legislation introduced on Thursday. The bill would legalize sports betting if the PAPSA is overturned or modified to allow single-game betting. Maryland would also have the option of legalizing sports betting if New Jersey were to win its ongoing case that is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bill, known as H 989, would require a voter referendum if the bill is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. Maryland’s State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission would be in charge of sports betting. The state’s casinos and race tracks would be the ones to offer betting.

The state’s casinos definitely would like to see sports betting legalized. According to the Baltimore Sun, the owners of the state’s three largest casinos — Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, Maryland Live and MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County — say states should have the authority to sanction sports bets. Maryland casinos can accept bets on horse racing, but not sports betting at the moment.

Maryland’s push to legalize sports gambling joins those of New Jersey, Michigan and Mississippi. New York is expected to join the mix in the near future. The states may have an ally in the new president, a former casino owner. But they don’t appear to have a friend in the new attorney general Jeff Sessions.

President Trump was interview by Westwood One radio’s Jim Gray on Super Bowl Sunday and said legalized sports betting is something he would have to sit down and talk to the league’s commissioners about, as well as law enforcement officials. He knew some commissioners would be opposed, while others, such as Adam Silver, seem more open to the idea.

In the past, Trump said he would legalize sports betting because it’s already taking place. His stance has softened a bit, but he may offer hope to those who want legal betting.