Residents of the Old Line State can’t be too upset about the state of Maryland betting given they have legal sports betting, but the latest gambling news is still a disappointment. The Maryland state legislature ended its session on Monday without passing an online casino betting bill.
There was some optimism of online casino gaming coming to the state when a bill was proposed, and it seemed to have some support behind it. However, online casino support did not make it into the state’s budget, and no time was allowed for the legislature to vote on the matter in this session.
As it stands, Maryland voters will not have a chance to vote on the proposal until 2027.
The main opposition for online casino gaming came from brick-and-mortar casinos, who understandably assume that real-money online casinos will reduce in-person betting. That would subsequently hurt not only their business, but also business for the surrounding areas as well as jobs for those who work in those casinos.
Additionally, responsible gaming advocates stressed that the ease of access to online slots and table games could lead to issues with gambling addiction.
There are counters to both of those arguments, however. Some cite studies that say online casinos and in-person casinos are not zero-sum games. In fact, some markets have seen both types of casinos benefit. Also, sports betting and casino bills are often used to fund responsible gaming measures, so an online casino could actually serve to help combat gambling addiction (as counterintuitive as that may seem).
But for now, the bill is a no-go. It is going to be years before Maryland citizens will be able to vote on iGaming, so for now they can relish the fact that they have a thriving sports betting scene.
