Sports betting moves forward at 3 Maryland facilities

BALTIMORE – Sports wagering is moving forward at three Maryland facilities, gaming and lottery officials announced Wednesday.

Maryland Stadium Sub, which has plans to operate a sportsbook at FedEx Field in Landover, and Chesapeake Gaming, which has an off-track betting venue in Boonsboro, have qualified for sports wagering facility licenses, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission said in a news release. 

Additionally, the commission found that BetFred Sports, the operator of Long Shot's in Frederick, qualified for a sports wagering facility operator license.

Maryland Stadium Sub and Chesapeake Gaming are among the 17 entities across the state that have been designated to conduct sports wagering. Eleven of those entities are qualified and six of them are already in operation.

Applications for Maryland Stadium Sub and Chesapeake Gaming are being forwarded to the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC), which will review their qualifications. Licenses could be awarded as soon as SWARC's next meeting on Aug. 17.

BetFred already received a sports wagering facility license in December. It is among three off-track venues that are awaiting facility upgrades or operational requirements before their sportsbooks can launch. No opening date has yet been scheduled for any of them.

Sportsbooks in the state will contribute 15% of their revenue toward education funding. The General Assembly's Department of Legislative Services estimates casinos will provide between $15 million to $25 million per year for schools, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission.

Marylanders approved a ballot question to legalize sports betting during the 2020 election, by a margin of 2 to 1.