Maryland Senator Prefiles Sports Betting Bill For 2020 Legislative Session

Just before the new year, a Republican lawmaker in Maryland prefiled a bill that would legalize sports betting in his state.

On New Year’s Eve, Sen. Chris West filed SB 58 for the 2020 legislative session. The bill would allow Maryland’s casinos and pari-mutuel racetracks to operate sportsbooks in the Old Line State.

If passed, the bill would give the voters the final say on the issue by creating an amendment to the state constitution. The document mandates that any changes made to commercial gambling laws require the will of the people, hence the necessity for the vote.

Last year, some lawmakers in the state filed a similar bill that tried to bypass the amendment process by putting sports betting under the guise of the state lottery. It never made it to a vote.

There aren’t a ton of details in the bill thus far, but it does, by default, allocate 11 sports betting licenses. A licensee can only be issued to the owner of a video lottery operation license or a license for thoroughbred or harness racing. There are six casinos and five pari-mutuel facilities in Maryland.

Tax revenue will be directed towards funding its public education system thanks to a ballot measure approved in 2018.

Early estimates have the state receiving between $40 and $60 million in annual tax revenue from a market that would generate between $200 and $300 million. The bill does not address mobile or online betting, however, which would make it very tough for the state to receive that type of tax revenue.

Rhode Island fell far short of their tax revenue projections until it implemented online and mobile wagering. New Jersey, arguably the leader in the online gaming space, had 80 percent of its sports bets placed online.

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