The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) has granted bet365 a license for online sports wagering in the state.
The application was approved during the MLGCA’s two-hour commission meeting on Thursday (August 28) giving bet365 the green light to begin online operations in tome for the start of the new NFL season which gets underway on September 5.
Bet365 is one of the most popular sports betting apps in the UK and Maryland will become the 15th US state in which the operator will be active.
Sportsbooks In Maryland
It is a competitive marketplace with some of the biggest sports betting sites from the US in operation, including FanDuel, DraftKings and MGM.
The MLGCA reported combined sports handle in July reached $364.1 million with players winning back $319.5 million and sportsbook operators retaining 12.2% of that handle.
That resulted in $7.2 million tax revenue for the state from sports wagering.
One thing the UK sports betting site would have been mindful of was Maryland’s Governor signing off on a sports betting tax hike which became law in July.
Governor. Wes Moore signed off on the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, part of which increased the tax rate on sports betting from 15% to 20%.
Moore had actually been pushing for a rate of 30%, but sportsbook operators expressed concerns that it would drive potential bettors to offshore sportsbooks.
After further discussion with Maryland lawmakers, Moore agreed not to double the tax and impose 20% as the new rate.
Bet365 Expanding Its US Presence
At the start of August bet365 launched in Kansas as its US operation expanded further.
It was the UK sports betting site’s third state rollout this year, following on from launches in Tennessee and Illinois.
In March, bet365 became a mobile and retail operator in Illinois through a partnership with Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort.
Within a week the sports betting and online casino specialists also launched in Tennessee after gaining a gaming license from the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council.
Missouri is next on the launch list as bet365 has secured a deal with St Louis Cardinals that will give it access to the new marketplace that is due to go live on December 1.
Bet365 holds several sport partnership deals in Europe through its subsidiary bet365 Scores, including a sponsorship deal with Serie A champions Napoli and a further shirt sleeve sponsorship with Serie A club Udinese in Italy.
in July it took strides to increase brand awareness in the US as Indiana Fever announced bet365 as the official sportsbook partner for the WNBA team.
A recent YouGov survey revealed that bet365 is emerging as the most dominant US online casino among those aged 21-24 and 25-34.
The UK operator made a further statement of intent in June, when it boosted its voice in the US by becoming the only new member to join the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA).
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
