Legal sports betting is now live at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland after Governor Larry Hogan placed the state’s first legal wager on the Washington Football Team to meet the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl early next year.
The soft launch came following a statement earlier this week by MLGCC, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin announcing that controlled demonstrations would take place at all licensed operators prior to the full industry launch on January 1st, 2022.
Speaking at the first of these demonstrations Governor Hogan said:
“Today marks the culmination of more than a year of effort to get sports betting up and running here in the State of Maryland. In addition to allowing Marylanders to bet on football, basketball, and more, sports betting will also help to keep more dollars in-state and will provide another critical revenue source for public education without raising taxes on families and small businesses.”
At the same opening ceremony BetMGM’s CEO, Adam Greenblatt stated:
“The BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge at MGM National Harbor is a bet component to making the Capital Region one of the country’s premier sports betting hubs. In partnership with the MGM National Harbor team, we’ve designed a world-class destination for sports fans.”
Soft launches are expected to take place throughout the weekend at Hollywood Casino in Perryville, Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, and Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin.
Each of the state’s sports betting license holders will also be allowed to launch sports betting apps in the state. However, no official launch date has been given for the mobile industry.
Image credit: Maryland GovPics / CC BY 2.0
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.