Next Tuesday could be an important day for online gambling in Maryland
Members of the Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee will hear testimony about the House online casino bill, HB1319, on March 26. If senators endorse it, state residents will vote on whether to legalize iGaming in the upcoming November election.
Following a successful referendum on the bill, state regulators would have to spend time creating the rules for the new gambling landscape, meaning iGaming would likely launch sometime in 2025.
If no changes to the bill sponsored by Delegate Vanessa E. Atterbeary are made by senators, up to 30 online gambling operators will pay a 55% tax rate, with revenue from live dealer casinos subject to a 20% tax.
Atterbeary believes that Maryland needs iGaming tax revenue to fund pre-K education, as existing funding is running out for the program. Online gambling could generate $300 million in tax revenue for the state in 2028.
However, HB1319 is entering a Senate that previously allowed two iGaming bills to stall after a committee hearing on February 28. Senator Ron L. Watson says the bills haven’t moved because lawmakers determined they had already balanced the state budget.
Senators have other alternatives if they fail to create a framework for the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MLGCC) before online gaming launches. They could scrap everything in HB1319 except the language regarding the referendum and then leave it up to the voters.
If HB1319 becomes only a referendum bill and is approved by voters in November, the Maryland General Assembly would have to draft a new iGaming bill in 2025 and begin the process again. However, providers could possibly launch right after the MLGCC institutes regulations for online casinos and poker.
