According to Geolocation and fraud detection specialist GeoComply, the days surrounding Thanksgiving saw a record level of online betting activity. From the moment the legal online sportsbooks in Maryland went live on Thanksgiving day, betting action surged.

Local NFL teams attracted large amounts of bettors, as well as college football matchups across the U.S. on Saturday and Sunday. This was combined with a full round of NBA and NCAAB games throughout the weekend and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, resulting in an impressive 16.5 million geolocation transactions recorded over the holiday period.

The multitude of events taking place proved popular for true sports fans and bettors alike across the country. With interest at such high levels, this could be a sign of things to come for legalized US sports betting market opportunities across other states going forward.

A Very Strong Start Against Neighboring States

Maryland’s online sports betting market is off to an incredibly strong start, according to data released by GeoComply. A total of 16.5 million geolocation transactions were shipped in the two days following the launch, indicating that a large portion of the population is taking advantage of the new opportunities available.

The majority of these individual bets came from 477,365 distinct accounts accessed through seven different operators – providing a great level of diversity and consumer choice. Interestingly, Maryland’s total for Thanksgiving Weekend was nearly double the volume of neighboring Virginia and more than four times the amount recorded by Colorado despite both states having similar populations.

In comparison to Indiana’s 6.7 million and Tennessee’s 6.6 million, that figure is significantly larger. Additionally, it matched the 17.1 million generated by the more established New Jersey market–despite having a much smaller population than Maryland does.

Maryland Sports Betting Launch: 7 Operators Go Live, 3 To Launch At A Later Date

Last week marked the start of a new era in Maryland as several sports betting operators launched their online gaming platforms, bringing regulated sports betting to the state. The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) gave the green light to 10 operators prior to the launch, but only seven have officially joined the state-wide launch.

The exact date is still unknown, but the launch of BetFanatics, BetFred, and Parx Interactive will happen soon. Out of these seven are some big names, like BetMGM, Caesars, Barstool, PointsBet, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive. With their successes so far, many eyes will be on what happens when these remaining three online sportsbooks officially join other competitors that are already running in Maryland.