Players in Maryland may soon be allowed to place legal wagers on sports. The state’s gambling authority has started accepting applications from potential sports betting hosts, including professional sports teams and casinos. If all goes according to plan, the industry may be up and running by NFL playoff season.
“We’re actively working to expedite the process,” noted Maryland Lottery and Gaming director John Martin.
The Lottery has confirmed that it has received applications from three potential hosts up until now.
Not all parties are eligible to submit license applications to the gambling authority’s e-licensing platform that was launched last month. For now, it is only those entities that were named in the sports betting legislations passed earlier this year.
These include:
- the six casinos that operate in Maryland,
- two bingo halls
- five off-track betting facilities
- the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore,
- the Laurel Park Race Track,
- the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium,
- the Orioles’ Camden Yards Stadium
- the Washington Football Team’s FedEx Field.
In the meantime, Major League Baseball said that it wanted to team with the state to prevent the rigging of bets. The MLB said that it sought to share official statistical information about games and consult about wagers that had the potential to pose a higher risk of being fixe.