Maryland: status at a glance
| Online casino | Not authorized |
|---|---|
| Sports betting | Online and retail |
| Online poker | Not authorized |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Contested: regulator or AG action Baltimore city suit against six operators, 4 Mar 2026, stayed 20 May; state bills died |
Where the state draws the line
Maryland keeps to one online product: sports wagering has a statute and a licensing process behind it. Real-money casino games and poker have neither, and the status table above shows both as none. Sweepstakes casinos are marked gray, meaning no state statute bans or approves them.
The sports wagering framework
The authority sits in the Sports Wagering Law, State Government Article, sections 9-1E-01 and following, with detailed rules in Title 36, Subtitle 10 of the Code of Maryland Regulations. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission approved the operational and licensing regulations on July 15, 2021, and they became fully effective on January 13, 2022.
Mobile wagering is its own license category. The agency's sports wagering page records an application fee of $500,000 for a mobile license and a minimum cash reserve of $500,000 for each mobile operator. It also records that mobile licensees pay 15 percent of gross revenue to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund and 5 percent to the General Fund. Licenses run five years.
Two limits stand out for a bettor. A brick-and-mortar facility may not let customers bet from personal devices; it may offer in-house betting on facility-provided devices that stay on the facility's internal network and the wagering floor. And each mobile operator decides whether to accept credit cards, with a duty to warn a bettor whose card issuer may treat the funding as a cash advance.
Who issues licenses
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency and the Commission administer the rules. Licenses, however, are awarded by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, a separate body. Mobile licenses pass through that review commission, while operator partners are qualified by the Gaming Control Commission, and applicants must show by clear and convincing evidence that they are fully qualified.
The record shows a staged start. On August 16, 2021, the review commission found the qualification standards sufficient for the 17 entities named in the law, and those entities received access to the eLicensing system on September 14, 2021. Applications for the competitive Class B-1, B-2 and mobile licenses were accepted from September 6 to October 21, 2022.
The agency's licensee list was last updated on September 14, 2026, and a new approved catalog of events and wagers takes effect on November 1, 2026. The list itself is the authority on which companies hold licenses; we do not reproduce operator names here.
Sweepstakes casinos in Maryland
No Maryland statute names sweepstakes casinos. Industry trackers report that bills to ban them died in the legislature. The one formal action recorded in our research is a suit by the city of Baltimore against six operators, filed on March 4, 2026 and stayed on May 20, 2026. A stay pauses a case, and it is not a ruling on whether the games are lawful.
For a resident, that leaves the question to the general law of lotteries and consumer protection, which our guide to whether sweepstakes casinos are legal walks through. The states that have acted by statute are listed on the sweepstakes ban states list, and Maryland is not among them.
Casino and poker
The research records no legal online casino and no legal online poker in Maryland. A casino game offered by an offshore site holds no Maryland license, and the sports wagering licensing described above does not extend to it. Federal rules that touch the subject are summarized under federal gambling law.
Where to get help
The national helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), takes calls from Maryland. We did not read a Maryland-specific number. The National Council on Problem Gambling publishes resources at ncpgambling.org.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bet on sports on my phone in Maryland?
Yes, through a licensed mobile operator. Mobile wagering is a separate license category under the Sports Wagering Law, and a person must be in Maryland to bet.
Is online casino play legal in Maryland?
No. The state has licensed sports wagering only. Bills for online casino games are not recorded as law.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Maryland?
The law is unsettled. No state statute covers them, bills died, and Baltimore's March 2026 lawsuit against six operators was stayed on May 20, 2026.
Is online poker legal in Maryland?
No licensed online poker market exists. The online poker states list shows where it is available.