After the Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review (AELR) committee’s approval of proposed emergency regulations, the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) has launched the application process for mobile licenses yesterday.
This is a big development for the state of Maryland as they are now a step closer to being one of many states that have allowed sports betting since the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down PASPA in 2018.
Maryland Sports Betting License Application
Last Tuesday, SWARC officially opened the applications for mobile sports betting licenses after a long series of waiting for the industry analysis and obtaining the AELR’s approval. The approval comes after SWARC Chairman Thomas Brandt Jr. requests faster developments as the commission can not open the application process until the AELR’s approval was obtained.
SWARC will accept applications until October 21. The Maryland Lottery is still there with its fingers on the pulse of new mobile entities, checking that each one has been fully vetted and approved. This is to make sure that entities are prepared for the launch.
John Martin, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director said in a press release that the organization is doing rigorous background investigations.
“A number of businesses that are planning to apply for mobile licenses have already submitted information to get their investigations started, and our Licensing staff will continue guiding them through the qualification procedures. We’re focused on expediting our part of the process so mobile betting can start as soon as possible,” he added.
Martin also added that the approval of the submitted applications may take up to 45 days. There will be 60 mobile sports wagering licenses in the Old Line State.
Expected Maryland Sports Betting Launch
“We know sports fans are eager to have mobile wagering, and we also know that it will substantially increase the contributions to education funding, so we’re eager too,” the director added as he is hopeful that Maryland online sports betting will launch before the end of 2022.
This means that even if Marylanders will miss the NFL kickoff this week, there is a high probability that the MD sports betting industry is up and running before the end of the regular season.
Overall, a swift process in the coming weeks is vital for an earlier launch of mobile betting as delays are costing Maryland millions of dollars of tax revenue.
Public Comment on the Regulations
On Friday, the public comment meeting will be held for the emergency regulations that had recently gone into effect. The meeting starts at 11 am in Baltimore’s Montgomery Park Business Center Auditorium.
Those who can’t attend the session may still submit their concerns through the public comment form. Submissions for the public’s input on these regulations will be accepted through September 26th, at which point they’ll be considered and changes may happen.
However, it would be surprising if there would be significant changes as the application period has already begun.
