DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland Review
Making its name in fantasy sports, DraftKings is now here with its new sports betting venture: DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland. DraftKings clearly has a lot of knowledge about the sports industry, but how well will it translate to the sports betting industry? We find out in this DraftKings Maryland Review.
- Daily free-to-play games
- Good selection of bet markets
- Has its own rewards program
- Offers competitive odds
- Very secure
- Bonuses are misleading and poor
- Lacks a live chat service
- Website space feels wasted
Welcome to DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland
DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland currently has a $150 to entice new customers – Sign up bet $5 and get $150 in Bonus Bets from DraftKings.
Are There Any Other Promotions and Offers?
In addition to the welcome bonus, DraftKings Maryland has a number of other promotions running too, starting with daily free-to-play pools. This includes a selection of free games every day, in which you compete with other bettors on a leaderboard with the top performers each day winning free bet credits.
There is also a refer-a-friend bonus as well, in which you and your friend can receive up to a $100 free bet for successfully referring a friend. You are limited to five referrals, maxing this bonus at $500, but like the welcome bonus, there are conditions. Your friend has to deposit a minimum of $25, and if they meet that but deposit less than $50, you will only get a $25 free bet. For between $50 and $99, you both get a $50 free bet, and for $100+ you both get a $100 bonus.
There is also the DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland rewards program, where you can earn crowns in return for placing bets. These crowns can be redeemed for a number of rewards, from free bets to boosts on bets you’ve placed to enhance your potential winnings.
How to Sign Up for DraftKings Maryland
Signing up to DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland couldn’t be easier. In just four quick steps, you can be up and ready to make a deposit and start placing bets:
- Create a username and password, assign an email and enter a promo code if you have one;
- Enter your name, date of birth, last four digits of your social security number, and address;
- Select additional security details to ensure your account is totally secure and confirm that the details entered are correct;
- Confirm your location and agree to all T&Cs.
You can now go on your way and deposit funds, making use of any available sports betting bonuses, and begin placing bets.
The DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland User Experience
The DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland experience is available in three formats: via a desktop website, through a mobile website, and via the dedicated DraftKings Sportsbook app. Keep reading below in our DraftKings Maryland review to find out what we thought about each method:
DraftKings Sportsbook Website
The first thing you notice right away about the DraftKings website is its dark background. For the experts at BetBuddy, this was an instant win because we usually have all our documents switched to dark mode anyway as it’s easier on the eyes, and this works just the same way.
The layout was neat and tidy, very easy to navigate around, and any adverts for promos are small and compact, concentrated in one section at the top of the page. But what we really liked is this is the only sportsbook where we arrive on the site, and a pop-up appears right away and asks if we’d like any help. You then say yes, and it gives you a fantastic quick start guide to sports betting.
The only thing we would say is on a larger display, the layout remains narrow, so there is a lot of empty space at the sides. But otherwise, this is a fantastic site to use.
DraftKings Sportsbook Mobile Site
The mobile site will suggest you download the app, but a little tap onto the cross in the top right makes that message go away and gives you access to DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland. No forcing you into downloading an app you don’t want, just instant access to the site via your phone’s browser.
The layout is a lot more compact and keeps its dark theme. It really does look very nice, and offers full access to all areas of the main site, which is great because it means you can bet on the go without any restrictions.
DraftKings Sportsbook App
The app is very much like the mobile site, except it runs much smoother and loading times have almost no delay because the software is optimized to run as perfectly as possible. You can access everything you can on the main site, but with more features, such as push notifications telling you how your bets are doing or when you are eligible for a new promotion.
It’s probably the best way to use DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland, purely for how easy it is to use from wherever you may be. But the desktop website is solid enough that I’d be happy placing bets on there too. It was just the mobile site that could be sluggish depending on internet connection.
DraftKings Maryland Payment Methods
DraftKings Maryland has a good selection of payment options available, and while they don’t have the quickest processing times on withdrawals, they’re about average, so nothing to complain about.
Payment Method | Deposit | Min. Deposit | Processing Time | Withdrawal | Min. Withdrawal | Processing Time |
Cash (at retail) | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $0 | Instant |
Check | ✓ | $15 | Up to 7 days | |||
Credit/Debit Card | ✓ | $0 | Instant | |||
Gift Card | ✓ | $10 | Instant | |||
Online Banking | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $0 | 3-5 business days |
PayPal | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $1 | 3-5 business days |
Play+ | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $0 | 2-4 business days |
VIP Preferred (eCheck) | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $0 | 3-5 business days |
Wire Transfer | ✓ | $10 | Instant | ✓ | $20,000 first time, $10,000 successive | Up to 48 hours |
What we do like is that there aren’t significantly fewer options to withdraw than deposit. It also has inconsistent minimum withdrawal limits, unlike most places, with some having much lower limits than others, but we like that it’s not just following everyone else’s rules.
Betting Options at DraftKings Maryland
There are 18 markets in total across the DraftKings website, although a lot more sports are covered because some categories listed, such as MMA, include different promotions, such as Bellator and UFC. This means the offerings are actually bigger than they look, although they don’t have as many as some competitors.
Here is the full list of sports available:
- Australian Rules
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Football
- Golf
- Hockey
- Lacrosse
- MMA
- Motorsport
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Soccer
- Specials
- Tennis
In terms of bet types available, DraftKings offers a wide range of bets you’re used to wagering on, from your traditional alternative lines to moneyline bets, and has its own daily pools you can enter for free.
DraftKings Maryland Customer Service and Support
The one annoying thing about DraftKings’ customer support is although they are really helpful and have a ton of information to help you out, they also have a live chatbot. We don’t like these because they analyze what you say, and usually get it wrong, meaning you don’t get the help you need or want.
If the bot can’t answer your queries, which it couldn’t about 50% of the time we tried to use it, it would ask you to complete a form with your query and would email it to you. Replies usually came within 24 hours, which was timely enough to keep us happy. Sadly, you can’t upload supporting documents until someone has gotten back to you, which just delays the help process for us. But otherwise, it was a relatively good system.
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds Comparison
In terms of odds, DraftKings Sportsbook offerings are very competitive. We compared the odds for the MLB game between the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles for which both teams were given odds of -110. This matched the exact same odds as Caesars Sportsbook Maryland and PointsBet Sportsbook Maryland.
Responsible Gambling with DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland
In order to get a license in Maryland, sportsbooks must pledge to support responsible gambling in Maryland, and DraftKings Sportsbook does this well. It has a Responsible Gambling badge proudly on display on its website, helps people understand gambling with its quick start guide, and offers a wide range of tools.
You can set your own deposit limits to ensure you don’t spend too much, and you can even set timeouts so you can’t get carried away and gamble for too long, even if it’s just to take a five-minute break.
Should you fall victim to problem gambling, there is plenty of signposting around the website to point you in the right direction to get the help you need.
Overall Thoughts on DraftKings Maryland
Overall, it’s a mixed reaction in this DraftKings Maryland Review. On one hand, it offers a great selection of markets, offers free games, and has a great section of payment methods among other things. However, it also has no live chat support, and the bonuses are misleading because they’re not as good as they first appear. For these reasons, we can’t give DraftKings Maryland any more than a 3.25/5 overall.
DraftKings Maryland FAQs
You must be 21 and over to gamble legally at DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland.
Yes, you can access it and deposit or withdraw funds from anywhere. But you must be within state lines of MD or another state DraftKings legally operates in to place a bet.
Yes, it doesn’t cost anything to play, and you can win free bets as rewards.
You must fill out their customer support form, and someone will get back in touch with you.
No, your friend must successfully deposit $25 or more to activate your bonus.