Maryland Gaming Commission Qualifies First 10 Mobile Sportsbooks, SWARC Next

• Maryland’s First 10 Applicants for Mobile Sports Betting Licenses Approved Last Week

• MD’s Sports Wagering App. Review Commission to Issue Mobile Licenses Nov. 21

• Maryland Mobile Sports Betting Market Set to Launch Once Licenses Are Granted

Maryland’s First 10 Applicants for Mobile Sports Betting Licenses Approved Last Week

Santa Claus may just bring mobile sports betting to Maryland gamblers by Christmas time if the regulators in that state have it their way as they continue to make haste with the application for licensing process, last Thursday qualifying the first ten mobile sportsbooks that applied.

Sports bettors will most likely recognize these ten newly qualified operators who could be up and running in the Free State before the end of the year, the first ten of up to sixty potential mobile sportsbooks that are allowable there by law:

• Barstool

• Betfred

• BetMGM

• betPARX

• BetRivers

• Caesars

• DraftKings

• FanDuel

• Fanatics

• PointsBet

Now that the MD Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MLGCC) has completed that step of the process for those first ten applicants, according to a recent press release they still can’t launch until they are approved by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC).

“The initial start date for mobile wagering will be announced after SWARC has awarded licenses."

That could happen as soon as November 21, the date of SWARC’s next meeting.

MD’s Sports Wagering App. Review Commission to Issue Mobile Licenses Nov. 21

Next, the SWARC will look over those first ten qualifying mobile license applications to determine whether they should award them that license based on a range of criteria including financial and diversity-based considerations.

In last week’s press release, the MLGCC explained there would be a final step before the launch where each operator must prove they can get the job done of taking countless wagers and paying out winners:

"After being awarded a license by SWARC, each business must conduct a controlled demonstration, ensuring that its systems and internal control procedures are functioning correctly. [Then] Maryland Lottery and Gaming is authorized to issue a license allowing the business to begin operations.”

That’s when the fun starts for Maryland sports bettors.

Maryland Mobile Sports Betting Market Set to Launch Once Licenses Are Granted

Ask any of the lawmakers, regulators, and bettors in the other over thirty U.S. states that have recently legalized, regulated and launched their own sports betting market how long it takes to set up such a mobile market and the answer will most likely be, “Too long.”

Better to be patient and get it done right than to hurry a new sports betting market into existence because there are too many working parts to think you can rush through all the steps, and MLGCC Director John Martin understands this better than anyone, telling the media:

“There is still a flurry of activity ahead of us over the next couple of weeks, but we’re going to see the first mobile wagers placed in Maryland soon. We know sports fans have been eagerly awaiting that opportunity, and we’re almost there.”

A 2022 mobile market launch would mean Maryland NFL fans could still place some online bets on their Baltimore Ravens and their Washington Commanders and MD NBA fans would be able to wager on the Washington Wizards for most of their season.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Maryland since sports bettors, both naughty and nice, will soon get to join the millions of other sports fans now adding another level of excitement to their already thrilling pastime, this a true holiday gift from Santa’s many helpers.