Gambling Laws in Maryland
Fantasy sports is huge this time of year, with NFL, NHL and NBA it is a great time to review the Gambling Laws in Maryland. BettingTop10.com is a great source for gambling laws and history to make sure you are doing everything in a legal fashion. Casino gambling in Maryland has become huge since casino’s were legalized and opened their doors in 2012. Sports betting for the most part is still illegal in Maryland, which has sports fans betting in other places. Most sports fans have to go to nearby Delaware or West Virginia to gamble on sports. With those neighboring states having legalized sports betting I think it is just a matter of time until sports betting is legal in Maryland. Gambling in Maryland has grown greatly the past 10 years with the addition of massive casinos. To gamble in a casino, you need to be 21 and older, all other gambling types you have to be 18 and older.
It would be stupid for Maryland not to legalize sports betting. Maryland would be losing too much revenue to Delaware and West Virginia that could go to schools and other necessary programs. It is not just traditional sports like football, hockey, basketball and baseball that are on the rise on the gambling scene. Now E-sports is becoming huge with games like Fortnight even getting coverage on ESPN. Maryland will have to address the new E-sports as a form of sports betting.
Gambling revenue has helped raise $2.1 billion dollars for the Maryland Education Trust Fund. Gambling revenue has also helped Maryland grant and other state programs. Gambling has also helped surrounding businesses. The local bars and attractions near the casinos have had huge business growth. I know from experience having bartended at one of the local casino’s for nearly three years how well paying and profitable the jobs are.
While other sports may be illegal horse betting is. The Horse Racing Board was founded in 1920 to oversee legal horse betting. Horse racing is legal in Maryland and one of the most popular forms of gambling. The Preakness Stakes which takes place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore is one of the most popular horse races in the World. The Preakness Stakes has run since 1873 and is second leg of the American thorough racing Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes has had around 70,000 to 100,000 members. The infield party is one of the most popular events of the year in Maryland with big band coming out to play.
Horse racing is popular in Maryland outside the Preakness Stakes. Laurel Race Track has horse racing nearly year-round and is incredibly popular. As a bartender in Laurel I have served and talked to several gamblers that bet on horse racing daily. The Maryland Lottery also has an electronic horse racing game that is popular in dive bars, that is similar to Keno. Horse betting is the only legal form of online gambling in Maryland. The Maryland Jockey Club was founded all the way back in 1743.
Fantasy sports is legal to do in Maryland, but you must be 18 years old or older. Right now, here at MSB we have two fantasy sports leagues, a fantasy hockey league which we are doing “for fun” which has no money or gambling involved. The other league is a fantasy football league which does have money involved. I am in the fantasy hockey league not the fantasy football league. Fantasy sports are legal under Federal law after being named a “test of skill” and technically not gambling. a lot of strategy and research goes into fantasy sports. The “daily fantasy sports” are a test of skill, at Maryland Sports Blog none of our leagues are daily, we have one draft a year and most of them are for free.
The most recent form of gambling to be legalized was private home card and poker games which was legalized in 2016. Poker and Blackjack are two of the most popular card games in Maryland as shown by the number of tables that local casinos have for those games.
