Maryland Due to Get Mobile Sports Betting Launch in December, BetR Founder Agrees Sector in U.S. Unsustainable
The wait may finally be over as Maryland is set to launch sports betting in December.
A bill was signed into law months ago but delays were many due to regulatory concerns. The state already opened up to retail sportsbooks beginning a year ago (December 2021).
US sportsbook operators with retail presence in Maryland:
Barstool, Hollywood Casino Perryville
Betfred, Long Shot’s, not open
BetMGM, MGM National Harbor
BetRivers, Bingo World
Caesars, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
Fanatics, FedEx Field, not open
FanDuel, Live! Casino
PointsBet, Riverboat on the Potomac
TwinSpires, Ocean Downs Casino
Last Friday was the deadline to have applications submitted to obtain a mobile sports betting license.
The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) will meet Nov. 21 leading to a review of applications. Assuming the SWARC awards licensees at that time, realistically December would be the earliest online sportsbooks could launch.
Sports Betting Unsustainable in U.S. as is According to BetR Founder
Joey Levy, the co-founder of micro-betting app Betr that is also backed by YouTube influencer Jake Paul, sat down this week with David Purdum of ESPN to discuss the cutthroat sports betting landscape in the U.S.
"This isn't going to work over time if we're just trying to extract as much money from people as possible when they're betting on sports," Levy said.
Betr focuses on wagering on small in-game events like the result of the next pitch in baseball with an emphasis on micro-betting.
Levy adds:"The sports betting operators today, with their money lines, point spreads and over/unders, are really only interpretable for people who have been betting on sports before. I don't think they're built for a mass-market consumer.
"With Betr, we're taking a fundamentally different approach, where if we're indeed going to be the category-defining consumer business in the space, this needs to be about building a sustainable business and ensuring this industry is sustainable."
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
