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Jul 01, 2025

Maryland Closer to Opening the Door to Online Casinos - How Soon? - Eye On Annapolis

Maryland might be a step closer to offering online casino options for residents, as State Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary is making another attempt at having such sites legalized. This comes via House

Maryland might be a step closer to offering online casino options for residents, as State Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary is making another attempt at having such sites legalized. This comes via House Bill 17, a piece of legislation that she is pushing, which would see not only the legalization of online casinos but framework for taxation and other legal matters.

During the first attempt, it saw pushback from existing land-based casino owners within the state. Their concern was that if online casinos became legal, they would push them out of the market and affect their bottom line. Now, the bill has been altered to garner their support.

Specifically, this bill would allow for land-based casinos to open online iterations of their service. The way it’s being pushed, these operators are already serving the market and thus can expand their operations to the virtual world. In fact, only already existing casino companies can even apply to open these sites.

It is worth noting that Maryland is not the only state that is dealing with restrictions with regards to online casinos. Generally speaking, states across the US have different stances on the matter. On the one hand, you have states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey where online casinos are not only legal but thriving, with billions of dollars in revenue each year. Then you have States like California where online gambling isn’t legal yet.

But despite this hurdle, Californians are still finding a way to have their needs met. A recent article by gambling expert Alex Hoffmann explains that in California, residents are turning to offshore sites to have their needs met. While this gets around the legal restriction, it means that their state of residence loses out on the tax revenue that online gambling generates.

Speaking of taxes, House Bill 17 is looking to implement a 15% tax on gross gaming revenue, which could bring in millions for the state. Other suggestions include measures that would prevent any underage gambling and also protect user data over time.

As mentioned earlier, this is not the first time that Atterbeary is pushing for online gambling legalization within Maryland. The last time, it failed at the Senate level, and now, online gambling supporters are hoping for a better reception. It’s been argued that this bill could see not only tax revenue but job creation in the process.

It is worth noting that online gambling is more popular globally than ever before. According to stats, it is expected to be worth $153.57 billion by 2030. As such, the places in the world where such activity is legal will reap the most benefits. This is why there has been a wave of pro-online gambling regulation around the world, including in other US states looking to enter the market.

For now, residents will have to wait and see if Maryland will become the next state to legalize online gambling. If this does pass, it will not be until 2027 that such casinos will become operational.