The Best MD Sports Betting Sites

Hello and welcome to Bet Buddy MD, your home for all things related to sports betting in Maryland! With our team of experienced professionals and industry leaders, we’re your authoritative reference for any questions regarding Maryland sports betting.

From honest sportsbook reviews to updating bettors on the current legal status of MD sports betting, we’re here to share our knowledge and ultimately benefit bettors within the state!

It is not certain which sportsbooks will launch Maryland online sports betting sites, but there are a number of different speculations about who could rock up in the Old Line State.

Five sportsbooks already operate at retail locations in Maryland for legal in-person sports betting, which would suggest they are likely to eventually launch online sites and sports betting apps. These brands include Barstool, BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, and TwinSpires.

In this section, we take a quick look at some of the potential sportsbooks that could launch in Maryland. We focus on their best qualities from what we’ve seen offered by the franchises within other states and the likelihood that we could see them operating in MD someday soon:

23rd of November: Important Update: Maryland Online Sports betting is live

We’ll give you a little bit of historical context to explain the current legal status of sports betting in Maryland. Crucially, the proposition to legalize Maryland sports betting first came around in 2020 when, in November that year, voters heavily supported its legal status in a general election ballot.

By April 2021, HB 940 was put to the Maryland State Legislature and it passed with overwhelming support. Moving on swiftly to July 2021, The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency announced that it had approved rules for legal MD sports betting, which meant that operators could now apply for licenses from the regulator to launch operations in MD.

By December 2021, retail sports betting was officially launched. Governor Larry Hogan made history by placing the first legal sports wager at the MGM National Harbor. However, despite progress with retail sports betting, there had been no further announcement as to when online sports betting operators would launch.

It then went quiet until recently, when, on June 23, 2022, the first confirmed operator was announced in BetFanatics, a newly launched operator yet to launch anywhere else. This announcement came about as Hogan began to put pressure on the state to get online sports betting launched this year. Frustrated at the lack of progress, he called for a fall launch in time for the new NFL season to kick off.

Although they haven’t launched yet in Maryland, we know from operators launched in other states such as Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that all the big operators offer bonuses.

There are usually generous welcome bonuses to entice new bettors in, as well as ongoing promotions to keep existing customers happy and continuing to place wagers. Plus, many operators have their own reward programs to sign up for, which reward the loyalty of bettors, allowing them to earn things such as free bets, invites to exclusive events, and even free stays at partnered resorts.

Some of the varying types of bonuses you’ll see include: deposit match bonuses, risk-free bets, free bets, refer-a-friend bonuses, and bet insurance. Many bonuses and promos will require you to deposit funds or place wagers in order to activate them. But, there are some operators that offer no-deposit bonuses too that just offer you a chance at placing bets without risking your own funds.

The one thing that all these bonuses will have in common is that each operator will have their own offers, but they will also come with wagering requirements. You will find these in the terms and conditions. However, essentially, they force you to use bet credits or bonus funds a certain number of times before you can withdraw any winnings earned from them.

There are plenty of teams based in Maryland that you can bet on, from amateur to professional in a wide range of sports. Here are some of the ones you may recognize:

When it comes to sports betting, Maryland has two types of taxes. If you are a resident of MD, then you are required to pay a tax of 9.25% on winnings above $5,000 as they are seen as a form of income. If you’re a non-resident, the tax is slightly less at just 7.5%.

In terms of what operators pay, the state has set their tax rate at 15% and as it stands, they raise on average around $500,000 per month in tax revenue.

Betting responsibly is placing wagers while you remain in control and don’t put yourself into financial harm. Problem gambling is what responsible gambling tries to prevent people from falling into the trap of: this is basically when people begin spending more money than they can afford, in order to chase their losses.

There are many ways in which sportsbooks will help you to gamble responsibly, such as by allowing you to set deposit limits, so that you never spend more than you can afford to. They will also use reality checks to remind you to take regular breaks and check in to see how you’re doing.

If you do need help, you have a few options. You can self-exclude yourself from a sportsbook so you will be unable to place bets there. This can be a temporary or permanent fixture. Or you can reach out to organizations such as the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling and The Maryland Alliance for Responsible Gambling, which are there to support people who are in need of help.