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Maryland Seeing Increase in Sports Betting Options

Flores Brian

Updated as of January 30, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST • Read time: 2 minutes and 53 seconds. For more information, visit our Twitter and Google News links.

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 19: Hakim Hart #13 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Xfinity Center on January 19, 2023 in College Park, Maryland. Greg Fiume/Getty Images/AFP

Another sportsbook is set to join the growing sports betting market in Maryland.

SuperBook Sports has received preliminary approval from the Maryland Lottery to provide retail and mobile sports betting in the state. The mobile sportsbook operator is in the process of completing the remaining steps before officially entering the Maryland sports betting market. It is anticipated that all required approvals will be obtained by the end of February.

SuperBook Sports has an established retail sports betting partnership with Camden Yards, the Baltimore Orioles’ home stadium. They are planning to open a sports betting lounge at the venue within the next year. Additionally, SuperBook Sports is currently operating in Ohio, New Jersey, Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado, Iowa, and Nevada.

Other sportsbooks waiting to launch in Maryland

Fanatics Underscoreg recently debuted its retail sports betting site at FedEx Field, becoming the first sports betting location within an NFL stadium. The company is also in discussions to acquire betPARX in order to introduce a mobile sportsbook in Maryland.

betPARX was among the initial operators to receive approval for a mobile sports betting license from the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) as the state rolled out online sports betting shortly before Thanksgiving in 2022.

At that time, the SWARC granted mobile sports betting licenses to BetFred, WynnBET, and Bally Bet, but these operators have not yet launched their mobile sportsbooks. On Jan. 26, the Maryland Lottery approved Crab Sports for a mobile sports betting license.

Crab Sports is a new sports betting startup aiming to provide Maryland bettors with a local sports betting experience. The company has teamed up with Gaming Innovation Group to manage its mobile betting platform.

Currently, Maryland has seven mobile sportsbooks operating, including DraftKings, FanDuel, Barstool Underscoreg, Caesars, BetMGM, PointsBet, and BetRivers. The state is expecting to have up to 20 mobile sportsbooks up and running by the end of the year.

Maryland law permits SWARC to grant up to 60 licenses for mobile sportsbooks, meaning bettors can look forward to additional Maryland sports betting bonuses as these new operators prepare to launch.

Maryland retail sports betting stands tall

Since December 2021, Maryland sports bettors have been able to enjoy retail sports betting at 10 different sportsbooks.

These top ten retail sites feature some of the best sportsbooks in the nation, such as BetMGM at MGM National Harbor, FanDuel at Live! Casino & Hotel, Caesars at Horseshoe Casino, and Barstool Underscoreg at Hollywood Casino Perryville. Other retail sports betting sites are managed by PointsBet, TwinSpires, BetRivers, betPARX, and Betfred.

Maryland’s sports wagering law has designated 17 entities to operate retail sportsbooks, with more potentially on the way this year. Residents near the DC area can enjoy Fanatics Underscoreg at FedEx Field and BetMGM at National Harbor, as well as retail sports betting experiences at Capital One Arena, Nationals Park, and Audi Field in the District.

The Caesars Underscoreg located at Capital One Arena boasts an impressive 18,000 square feet of dining and entertainment space. In a historic move, it became the first sportsbook to be situated inside a professional sports arena in the United States in May 2021.

The BetMGM Lounge at Nationals Park is open year-round, while the FanDuel Lounge at Audi Field, home of DC United, offers a unique view of the soccer pitch not found at other sportsbooks in the area. These venues provide exciting entertainment options, and bettors can also access the mobile sportsbooks within a two-block radius of each site.

Mobile sports betting a difference-maker in Maryland

From December 2021 to October 2022, Maryland bettors placed legal bets at retail sportsbooks totaling nearly $281 million, with an average monthly wager of around $25 million.

In November 2022, when mobile sports betting became available in Maryland, operators in the state saw a total handle of over $219 million for the month. By December, that number had surged to over $497 million.

In October 2022, Maryland set a new record by generating nearly $40 million in total handle. Despite bettors having to wait a year between the November 2021 vote approving sports betting and the launch of the mobile sports betting market, the state appears to have the necessary infrastructure to be a strong player in the industry moving forward.

Written By:
Flores Brian
Grant is a former junior B ice hockey player, and a current believer that the Washington Capitals’ aging core still has another Cup run left in the tank. Grant’s owned and operated his own marketing agency since shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2014. He pursued the profession because he figured it’d be a great way to get paid to do something he loves to do, write. After years of hammering puck lines and leading his fantasy football league as Commissioner, Grant started writing about sports betting and the casino gaming industry in 2021 and hasn’t looked back.