According to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming, the state of Maryland’s six casinos generated $168.1 million in revenue from slots and table games in March 2026. Compared with March 2025, the figure declined by 2.3%. At the same time, the month was notably stronger than February 2026, when total revenue came in at $148.5 million. However, the seasonal month-over-month uptick did not offset the year-over-year decline that has persisted for several consecutive quarters.
Who captured most of the market
MGM National Harbor remains the revenue leader with $72.1 million (+2.4% year over year). Live! Casino & Hotel holds second place with $60.0 million (?5.9%). Next came Horseshoe Casino with $16.2 million (?6.2%), Ocean Downs Casino with $7.7 million (+2.1%), Hollywood Casino with $7.6 million (?8.0%), and Rocky Gap Casino with $4.5 million (?1.3%). Only two of the six venues posted growth, while Hollywood Casino recorded the steepest decline.
State budget and the Education Trust Fund also saw a decline
Casino payments to the State of Maryland for March 2026 totaled $72.4 million, which is 2.9% lower than the same figure a year earlier. Of this amount, $52.2 million was directed to the Education Trust Fund, a dedicated fund used to finance the education system. This funding stream also fell 2.9% year over year.
The decline in budget revenue from the gambling industry is becoming a trend the state will have to factor into planning for social-program spending.
Nine months of the fiscal year reinforce the trend
Over the first nine months of fiscal 2026, that is, from July 2025 through March 2026, total casino revenue in Maryland was $1.4 billion. That is 2.2% less than in the same period of the previous year. Total payments to the state budget over the same period reached $615.5 million, down 1.6%. The difference in the rates of decline in revenue and payments is explained by the specifics of the tax structure, but the overall direction remains the same.
Maryland Senate panel discussed online casinos, but did not vote on the bill.
A hearing was held, but no vote followed
The Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee held a hearing on a proposal to legalize and regulate online casinos and online bingo in the state. The meeting ended without a vote, and no timeline for revisiting the issue has been announced.
The discussion centered on Senate Bill 885, introduced by Senator Ron Watson. The document provides for allowing online casinos and bingo to operate in Maryland, which, according to the sponsor, could broaden the state’s tax base and attract additional players from among those who currently use unlicensed platforms.
How do local gamblers play?
If just a couple of decades ago fans of gambling entertainment visited land-based casinos, today everything has changed. High technology allows people to play from home right on their computers or phones. And with iGaming, entertainment isn’t limited by geography and remains accessible despite the specifics of regional legislation.
Players in Maryland do indeed have access to offshore online-casino sites with international licenses. We confirmed this by reviewing several niche review sites that appear at the top of search results. In particular, we click on this page and reviewed a list of online casinos offering sign-up bonus funds. These are mostly major operators with international licenses, available in many parts of the world—from New Zealand to Africa and the United States. In Maryland, where online casinos are not legalized, such platforms fall into a legal “gray area” and do not generate revenue for the state budget.
Who would control the new market
According to the bill, regulatory oversight would be assigned to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. Online licenses would be available to two categories of market participants:
- video lottery operators (video lottery operators) already operating in the land-based segment;
- sports wagering licensees (sports wagering licensees) with experience operating in a digital environment.
This licensing model effectively ties the online segment to existing land-based operators, a structure that is common in a number of other U.S. states that have already legalized internet gambling.
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