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- Maryland lawmakers have scheduled March 11 hearings on a package of bills that would legalize online casinos, enable multi-state online poker, and tighten enforcement against sweepstakes-style casinos.
- This push could put iGaming and shared poker liquidity on the November 2026 ballot if the measures clear the Legislature.
Maryland’s Senate will hear three internet-gaming bills and a sweepstakes enforcement measure on March 11.
SB 885 is the core online casino bill, creating five-year licenses (primarily for existing video lottery and sports wagering licensees), and setting application fees ($1 million standard, $500,000 for live-dealer-only; reduced fees for qualifying minority/social equity applicants). It mandates labor peace agreements, funds education, and adds responsible gambling rules, but does not set a tax rate.
SB 884 separates poker as a standalone skill-based license (same fee structure) and includes language allowing the governor to “enter into an agreement with other governments,” opening the door to shared pools.
SB 761 would place a referendum on the November 2026 ballot.
Separately, SB 652 targets illegal online gambling and sweepstakes operators with cease-and-desist powers, payment-blocking obligations, and civil/criminal penalties.
All gaming bills will be debated March 11
If advanced, the bills would materially change Maryland’s player landscape.
Multistate poker authorization promises deeper tournament fields and better liquidity, a clear win for serious online poker players, while the separate poker license preserves skill-based market treatment.
Limiting primary applicants to incumbent casinos and sportsbook licensees, plus single-skin partnerships, favors established operators and could slow new entrant competition. High license fees and the absence of a tax rate leave commercial economics uncertain for operators and affect potential rollout pacing.
Consumer protections – deposit-limit delays, marketing restrictions during self-suspension, voluntary exclusion lists, and an employee-displacement fund – aim to blunt cannibalization and social harms.
Meanwhile, SB 652’s sweepstakes crackdown and payment-processor rules could remove “gray-market” sweepstakes sites, reducing alternative access but improving regulatory clarity for compliant operators.
All four bills are before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee with a March 11 hearing scheduled.
Based on reporting by Chavdar Vasilev for Gambling Insider.
