Maryland sports betting compromise sets stage for votes on Assembly’s final day

Maryland sports betting compromise sets stage for votes on Assembly’s final day

Article brief provided by Maryland Matters
  • Bruce DePuyt, Maryland Matters
April 12, 2021 10:50 AM
  • Bruce DePuyt, Maryland Matters

House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on a measure to determine how Maryland implements legalized sports wagering.

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The agreement represents a compromise between the version of HB 940 that cleared the House of Delegates a month ago and an amended version that a Senate committee crafted earlier this week.

The House version set limits on the number of gambling licenses the state would issue. Amendments added by the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee set no limits on either “bricks and mortar” or mobile licenses.

Under the compromise, reached between lawmakers from the two chambers, the state would issue 10 licenses to the state’s larger casinos, Laurel Park race track and the three professional sports teams — and a smattering of others for off-track betting locations, the Maryland State Fair, and two larger electronic bingo facilities.