After a failed attempt in 2024, a familiar proponent has filed a new Maryland online casino bill as the new session gears up.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary’s House Bill 17, authorizing online casinos in Maryland, was assigned to the Ways and Means Committee ahead of the legislature’s Jan. 8 start date. Atterbeary serves as the committee chair.
“Contrary to what you may have heard, the sky will not fall if iGaming is implemented in the state of Maryland,” Atterbeary said at a committee hearing last year. “Problem gamblers are going to find a way to gamble, as we have already seen. It is our job to create the appropriate protections, increase support and funding for treatments for those individuals.”
Atterbeary filed legislation to legalize online gambling last year, and the Ways and Means Committee spent more than five hours during a hearing on the topic. Ultimately, her bill passed the House by a vote of 92-43 but did not see action in the Senate despite existing online casino discussion.
Online casino bill details
The bill would allow the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to issue online casino licenses and require the commission to regulate the industry. The bill also would allow the state to enter multi-jurisdictional internet gaming agreements, such as the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
MSLGCC could issue a license to a video lottery operator or holders of a sports wagering facility license. There are multiple requirements about the length of business and investment in Maryland, including a commitment to invest at least $5 million into a live gaming studio in the state within the initial term of a license.
The commission can also issue up to five licenses through two competitive rounds.
Extra licenses in Maryland
Similar to the Maryland sports betting law, there are stipulations to ensure social equity within the industry.
Video lottery operators can earn an additional license by agreeing to partner with “social equity applicants who demonstrate direct or indirect ownership of at least 33% in a joint venture.”
“Social equity applicant” must satisfy at least two of the following:
- Lived in an economically disadvantaged area for at least five of the 10 years immediately preceding the application.
- Attended a public school in an economically disadvantaged area for at least five years.
- For at least two years, attended a four-year institution of higher education in the state where at least 40% of the individuals attending the institution were eligible for a Pell Grant.
- Has a personal net worth that does not exceed an amount determined by the commission to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in the internet gaming industry.
Gambling discussion in Maryland
Along with Atterbeary’s legislation last year, Sen. Ron Watson introduced an online casino bill in the Senate. His bill received a hearing in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
Several casinos, including Maryland Live!, strongly opposed the online gambling bills. The opponents argued that the bills would cannibalize land-based casino revenue.
During summer 2024, Watson provided his lessons learned at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States summer meeting. NCLGS is finishing its model legislation for online expansion.
“I would have done things a whole lot different,” Watson said during the session. “I thought we had our ducks in a row. We needed more.”
