The Maryland sports betting market will add two more online sportsbooks after regulators approved several licenses Wednesday.
The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission unanimously approved MD sports betting licenses for SuperBook Sports, a household name in Las Vegas, and Crab Sports, a Maryland-based startup.
Marylanders voted to legalize sports betting in 2020. Legal betting at in-person locations began in late 2021. Online betting launched in November 2022. The law allows up to 47 in-person sportsbooks and up to 60 online sportsbooks, with three additional licenses for major professional sports teams that relocate to the state.
10 Maryland sports betting apps by March
SuperBook and Crab Sports may launch once they pass controlled demonstrations, which test their ability to handle mobile transactions. Plans for those have not been disclosed yet.
If those tests go smoothly Maryland should have 10 sports betting apps by March Madness.
Maryland will be SuperBook’s eighth state and Crab Sports’ first. SuperBook takes legal bets in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee, according to its website.
SuperBook became eligible for a Maryland betting license after partnering with the Baltimore Orioles, who plan to open a betting lounge at Camden Yards later this year. Crab Sports is eligible as a local business, which are key components of the Maryland sports betting law.
More sportsbooks on the way
SWARC approved diversity plans from BallyBet, WynnBet and Long Shots’s a restaurant and bar planning to open an in-person betting location in Hagerstown. It already takes bets at its Frederick location.
Each will still need to complete more steps before they can hold controlled demonstrations, according to Seth Elkin, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency.
More bars get in-person sports betting
SWARC also awarded in-person betting licenses to two Green Turtle Sports Bar locations and Michael’s on the South River, a wedding reception venue in Riva.
Kathe P. Hospitality, which owns the venue, will hold a public meeting Feb. 20 in response to “numerous community concerns” related to its MD sports betting plans, according to its website.
