Decision on Maryland Legal Sports Betting to Wait Until November

Lawmakers introduced Maryland House Bill No. 989 in February 2018. It allowed governing bodies to create a task force to study how to implement sports wagering in the state. According to the latest development, the decision on Maryland legal sports betting must wait until November.

The legislation will pave the way on how regulators would issue licenses to operators. Also, they would come up with the rules that include the legal age for players. According to proposals, players need to be at least 21 years old before they can wager on sports in Maryland.

Although the sports betting legislation gained many supporters, the proposal didn’t move forward in 2018. It was the direct opposite of what neighboring states experienced. West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania have already legalized sports betting.

Decision on Maryland Legal Sports Betting

Washington DC also legalized sports betting. That means sports fans can bet on sports in the District of Columbia, from NBA to NFL. Also, players can wager on horse racing through legal sports betting software in a safe manner.

According to a political forum, Senate Bill 58 would make Maryland legal if it finds its way to the ballot. However, there are challenges along the way. The state needs to take several steps to implement the legal framework.

Maryland’s constitution requires citizens to provide voter consent to amendments to the constitution. Some people hope that the vote could be side-stepped by giving the Maryland Lottery regulatory powers for wagering on sports. However, the efforts failed to progress.

State legislature need to approve Senate Bill 58 before it can be put into a ballot. If majority of voters voted for the bill, it would be approved. Thus, sports wagering would become legal in Maryland starting November 30.

Senate Bill 58 is the first step on how to become a bookie in Maryland. It gives the commission power to issue licenses to sports wagering operators.