Maryland Lawmakers Kick Off 2025 With New Online Casino Bill

We are only a couple of days into 2025, and Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary is picking up where she left off last year, filing a new online casino bill for Maryland.

While the proposal failed last year, Atterbeary is hopeful that this new attempt will succeed. The bill (House Bill 17) was assigned to the Ways and Means Committee ahead of the legislature’s January 8th Start date.

Atterbeary remains resolute in her online casino legalization stance,

“Contrary to what you may have heard, the sky will not fall if iGaming is implemented in the state of Maryland. Problem gamblers are going to find a way to gamble, as we have already seen. It is our job to create the appropriate protections, increase support and funding for treatments for those individuals.”

The Ways and Means Committee spent over five hours debating the delegate’s 2024 online casino bill. While the bill eventually passed the House with 92-43 votes, it did not see action in the Senate.

Details of the Casino Bill

If passed, Atterbeary’s bill would authorize the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MSLGCC) to issue licenses to online casinos and regulate their operations. It would also allow Maryland to enter multi-jurisdictional gaming agreements like the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.

The new proposal will let the MSLGCC issue licenses to video lottery operators or sports betting facility owners. It can also issue up to five additional licenses through two competitive rounds. 

Companies with a history of investing in the state are more likely to get licenses. However, the primary requirement is that they be willing to invest at least $5 million in a live game studio.

Discussions About Maryland Gambling

Senator Ron Watson was another representative who introduced an online casino bill for the state last year. His proposal was heard in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and received vehement opposition from land-based casinos, including MaryLand Live! The casinos argued that iGaming legalization would cannibalize the revenue of physical locations.

Watson admitted that his bill could have been more encompassing at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States last summer.

“I would have done things a whole lot different,” Watson said during the session. “I thought we had our ducks in a row. We needed more.“