How The Betting Industry is Shaping The World Of Tech & Finance In Maryland
David Morey 
It’s been four months now since the state of Maryland officially launched mobile/online and in-person sports betting. Needless to say, it hasn’t taken long for the industry to take off. There was a big long-term push for sports betting to go live in “The Free Line State,” and the patience of state officials and residents finally paid off in the final weeks of 2022. But 2023 will mark the first year in which sports betting in Maryland is legal for all 365 days of the year. It indeed promises to be a big year for the Maryland sports gambling/online casino industry.
New residents interested in trying their luck with sports gambling out should know that there are several promos for bettors. The Caesars Maryland promo code can claim $100 to $1,500 in bet credits. The Maryland Lottery announced last month that the state’s mobile/retail sportsbooks combined for a whopping $441.481 million in handles for January. The state took in $2.114 million in contributions from the sportsbooks. The numbers were even higher in December. The Maryland Lottery revealed that the state took in just over $497 million in handles but only $440,043 in contributions. Sports betting helps make a big difference in Maryland, too. Each sportsbook gives 15 percent of profits to the state, which is then sent to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund — which is set up to help improve public education in the state.
And there’s no telling just how much more residents of Maryland will bet now that they have the option to place wagers on the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball throughout the entirety of their respective seasons.
Sports Teams To Bet On In Maryland
There is no shortage of sports teams to bet on in Maryland. There is at least one major professional sports team in or around the state of Maryland — in nearby D.C. — playing at any given time of the year. As previously mentioned, Maryland is home to the Ravens and the Orioles. The Ravens and Orioles play their home games at M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, respectively — and they’re less than a mile apart.
The Ravens’ 2022 season is over, but they’ll return to the field for the 2023 campaign in September. The Orioles, coming off their first winning season (83-79) since 2016, will open their season in Boston against the Red Sox on Mar. 30. Their home opener will take place against the rival New York Yankees on Apr. 6. Sports fans in Maryland can also bet on the major professional sports teams based in D.C.: The NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NFL’s Washington Commanders, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. The Commanders play their games at FedExField, which is located in Landover — about 32 miles from Baltimore. There are also collegiate programs for football and basketball, such as the Maryland Terrapins, Navy Midshipmen, and Towson Tigers.
The Growth Of Sports Betting In The U.S.
Sports betting in the United States began to take off following a historic ruling from the Supreme Court back in 2018. In May of that year, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), an act that banned sports wagers from taking place in most parts of the nation. But the Supreme Court ruled that the PASPA was a violation of America’s Tenth Amendment, and so it was scrapped after 25 and a half years in existence. The states of New Jersey, Delaware, and Mississippi all moved quickly to legalize sports betting following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Now we’re in the first quarter of 2023, and more than 30 U.S. states have since launched a form of sports betting. The industry has raked in billions and billions of dollars every year, and over time, it’s clear that the industry is only going to continue growing in the country. Big sports leagues like the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL all have long-term partnership agreements with top sportsbooks like Caesars, DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel. This means plenty of advertising (on television, on mobile apps, and at sporting venues), and that’s only going to help bring more attention and users to the industry.
