state · United States
Online gambling and sports betting in Maryland
Maryland allows state‑regulated retail and online sports betting under MLGCA and SWARC, with retail live since December 2021 and online since November 2022. Real‑money online casino remains unauthorized; online casino bills have not passed.
- Online sports betting
- Legal
- Online casino
- Not legal
- Retail sports betting
- Legal
- Online live since
- 2022-11
Checked 2026-09-21. Not legal advice.
- Online betting and casino legal 7
- Online sports betting only 27
- No legal online gambling 17
Boundaries: US Census Bureau (public domain), via geoBoundaries
Casino, sports betting, poker and more
Maryland licenses online sports betting and fantasy contests through the Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, but does not authorize online casino gaming or real-money online poker. Brick-and-mortar casino gaming exists, yet online casino-style play is not licensed.
| Product | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Legal | — |
| Online casino | Not legal | — |
| Online poker | Prohibited | No state-licensed real-money online poker; Maryland says online real-money games of chance, including poker, are unauthorized and casino materials describe poker as prohibited. |
| Sweepstakes and social casinos | Restricted | Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency cease-and-desist letters to VGW/Chumba, LuckyLand (2025); Baltimore lawsuit against dual-currency social casinos (2026); SB112/HB295 Gaming – Prohibition on Interactive Games (2026). |
| Prediction markets | Restricted | Kalshi: restricted — Maryland Lottery & Gaming cease‑and‑desist re sports event contracts, 2025; Baltimore consumer‑protection suits over illegal sports betting, 2026. Polymarket: restricted — Baltimore lawsuits alleging unlicensed sports betting/prediction‑market gambling, 2026; not state‑licensed for sports wagering. Robinhood event contracts: restricted/prohibited — Robinhood blocks Maryland residents from all event contracts; state cease‑and‑desist and Baltimore complaint referencing sports contracts, 2025–2026. Crypto.com event contracts: restricted — Maryland regulator warning letter to licensed operators against prediction‑market involvement, including Crypto.com, treating DCM sports contracts as illegal sports wagering, 2025. Overall Maryland status for real‑money prediction markets/event contracts: restricted — no dedicated licensing regime; treated as unlawful sports wagering or illegal activity absent a Maryland sports wagering license, with regulator warning letters and city lawsuits, 2025–2026. |
| Mystery boxes | Unregulated | Set nationally. Unregulated federally; FTC 2025 settlement required loot-box disclosures, but no U.S. law/regulator has classified paid mystery boxes or loot boxes as gambling. |
Key facts
- Online sports betting legal and live statewide.
- Retail sports betting legal at licensed venues.
- No licensed real‑money online casino; iGaming not yet authorized.
- Regulator is Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA).
- Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) handles license awards.
- Retail sportsbooks launched December 9, 2021.
- Online/mobile sports betting launched November 23, 2022.
- Sports betting enabled by 2020 referendum and 2021 legislation.
- MLGCA regulates casinos and sports wagering.
- Maryland has debated but not passed online casino legislation.
Regulator and law
Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (with Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission and SWARC involved for sports wagering)
2020 voter referendum and 2021 enabling sports wagering law (often cited as HB 940); precise citation unconfirmed.
Advertising unlicensed gambling in Maryland
Not confirmed. unconfirmed.
Unlicensed/offshore operators are not authorized in Maryland; promoting them risks aiding illegal gambling, but an explicit advertising ban citation could not be confirmed from primary law.
National rules also apply — see online gambling regulation in United States.
Checking a licence
The regulator publishes a list of licensed or authorised operators.
Recent developments
- Online casino (iGaming) legalization discussed in recent legislative sessions; no bill enacted as of 2026.
- Sports betting market continues expanding, with multiple licensed mobile operators active (e.g., DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM).
- State budget documents confirm MLGCA/MLGCC oversight of casino gaming and sports wagering, with retail launch in 2021 and online in 2022.
What we could not confirm
- Exact statutory citations and section numbers for Maryland sports wagering law (commonly referred to as HB 940) not verified from primary legislative text.
- Specific URL of the official online list of licensed Maryland sports wagering operators; secondary sources indicate such a list exists but link not confirmed.
- Exact statutory or regulatory language expressly prohibiting advertising offshore/unlicensed gambling; only general illegality of unlicensed operators is clearly established.
- Whether Maryland separately regulates or bans paid loot boxes/mystery boxes.
- Whether prediction markets like Kalshi/Polymarket are treated as gambling, securities, or commodities access issues in Maryland specifically.
- Whether any sweepstakes/social casino operator has a Maryland-specific safe harbor or enforcement posture beyond general gambling prohibitions.
Sources
- foxsports.com/stories/betting/maryland-sports-betting
- actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/maryland
- rotowire.com/betting/maryland
- bettorsinsider.com/sportsbooks/legal/maryland/
- betmaker.com/md/
- rg.org/statistics/us/maryland
- dbm.maryland.gov/budget/FY2026Testimony/E75D.pdf
- livescore.com/en-us/betting-sites/maryland/
- legaluspokersites.com/state-laws/maryland/
- pokernews.com/us-poker/md/
- professionalrakeback.com/playing-internet-poker-inside-the-state-of-maryland
- pokerfuse.com/online-poker/maryland/
- pokerlistings.com/us-poker-rooms/maryland-online-poker
- worldpokerdeals.com/is-online-poker-legal-us
- mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2026/bat/34584_03172026_14850-253.pdf
- casino.info/resources/gambling-in-maryland/
- clovr.com/sweepstakes-casinos/maryland/
- covers.com/industry/maryland-regulator-sends-second-cease-and-desist-to-vgw-sweepstakes-casinos-nov-20-2025
- thegamingboardroom.com/2025/11/21/maryland-cracks-down-on-sweepstakes-casinos-and-prediction-markets/
- covers.com/industry/maryland-gaming-regulator-sends-cease-and-desist-order-to-chumba-casino-owner-march-18-2025
- casinobeats.com/2025/11/21/maryland-second-cease-and-desist-chumba-luckyland/
- cbssports.com/prediction/news/prediction-market-legal-states/
- predictionmarketspicks.com/learn/is-kalshi-legal-in-maryland
- thedailyrecord.com/2026/08/13/sports-betting-baltimore-kalshi-polymarket/
- marylandreporter.com/2026/08/09/prediction-markets-have-lawmakers-rattled-real-money-betting-sites-are-watching-closely/
- thedailyrecord.com/2025/08/12/kalshi-maryland-gambling-license-ruling/
Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.