At the beginning of 2024, Maryland was viewed as being one of the states most likely to pass new laws that would regulate online casinos and online gambling. And, in March of this year, it continued to look promising. Representative Vanessa Atterbeary saw bill HB 1319 passed through the House and on to the Senate.
In the same month, the house launched a budget that included tax revenue from regulated online betting. The budget included additional funding for education, with the funds coming from online casino gambling. Critics have pointed to the fact that the state had balanced budgets for the next two years, which means there is no urgent need to pass new regulations to bring in more tax revenue.
Online casinos are legal and regulated in just six states, despite more than 20 now regulating online sports betting. Critics often state that online casinos will take away from physical casino revenue and encourage gambling. Proponents point to the additional tax revenue while praising the convenience of online betting, and the speed of casinos with quickest payouts. For example, a crypto-based Telegram casino can pay out in a matter of minutes or less, so it is easy to see why supporters favor the move, and such sites also allow players to gamble directly from the messaging app for the ultimate convenience.
Despite these benefits, online casino regulation remains the exception across the country. But supporters believed Maryland could change that and many commentators believed this year could be the year for change. That didn’t prove to be the case.
Sports betting was legalized in May 2021 in Maryland and while it took until November 2022, online sports betting was also legalized in the state. There are many who hope online casino gambling will be next to gain regulatory approval.
Despite having gone through numerous changes on its way to the Senate and passing the house vote 92-43, the motion was not passed by the time the Senate adjourned in April. Unfortunately, there proved to be too much opposition to the bill including common complaints from physical casino operators that it would take revenue and jobs away from their businesses. Two of the state’s six casinos raised objections to the bill. Persuading these two casinos to get on board with the plans could greatly help the case for regulation in the future. This may require concessions on the part of lawmakers.
With changes to state legislation requiring voter agreement, that means no changes can now be fully enacted until at least 2026, although that delay does allow lobbyists and lawmakers to shore up their arguments and potentially even get the backing of the two physical casinos that argued against the bill.
A similar bill in Maine was shot down at around the same time, although it is likely that both states will continue to work on proposals to get new regulations in place in the coming years. It is now unclear which state, if any, is the most likely to pass online casino laws, but both Maryland and Maine will likely try again next time around.
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