Maryland officially launches sports betting Thursday, joining 30 states and the District, where virtual and/or in-person sports gambling has been legalized. Betting on football, basketball, and more is permitted at casinos and racetracks, as well as online.
MGM National Harbor, the largest casino near DC, just unveiled its BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge. The gambling space—the first to open in Maryland—boasts stadium-style and lounge seating for 350 customers, 20-plus betting windows and kiosks, and a 110-foot long wraparound screen. It’s one of three staffed sports betting locations at MGM, and there are additional kiosks.
Two Baltimore-area casinos, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and Live! Casino & Hotel, plan to launch their sportsbooks on Friday. Additional entities with a sportsbook license include Pimlico Racetrack and the Maryland State Fairgrounds. Professional teams such as the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, and the Washington Football Team also have permits.
Earlier, Governor Larry Hogan, placed the first bet, a futures wager at MGM that the Washington Football Team would meet the Baltimore Ravens at next year’s Super Bowl. According to Hogan, the bet would pay out more than $20,000. Hogan touted the year-plus effort to bring sports betting to his state, plus the opportunity to “provide another critical revenue source for public education without raising taxes on families and small businesses.”
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
