Online Gaming in Maryland

In the 2025 session, successor bills House Bill 17 (Del. Atterbeary) and Senate Bill 340 (Sen. Ron Watson) were introduced with identical language, including a $10 million displacement fund for land-based casinos in the first year of iGaming and a requirement for a minimum $5 million investment by each operator in live-dealer studios in Maryland. Neither bill received a committee vote before the March 17 "crossover day" deadline, and both died at the end of the session (April 7, 2025). Opposition was led by Cordish Companies (operator of Maryland Live!, Maryland's highest-grossing casino) and Churchill Downs (Ocean Downs), who argued that iGaming would cannibalize brick-and-mortar casino revenues by an estimated 10–15%.

In the 2026 session, Senate Bill 855 and related House bills were again introduced to legalize iGaming as a potential solution to Maryland's approximately $1.5 billion structural budget deficit. SB 855 passed a first reading and was referred to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. However, by late March 2026, the chief sponsor acknowledged the bills were "all but dead" for the session, with the legislature prioritizing the budget. iGaming remains illegal in Maryland as of mid-2026, and the next legislative opportunity is the 2027 session.

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