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Push for legal Maryland online casinos falls short of ballot
Lawmakers failed to advance a measure that would allow voters to decide on the legalization of online casinos in Maryland.
Maryland legislators have found themselves in an all-too-familiar setting when it comes to the legalization of online casinos. For the fourth straight year, lawmakers watched as their efforts to put iGaming on the November ballot officially failed, with the General Assembly not giving approval to reach the statewide ballot.
Bills to legalize Maryland online casinos stall in committee
Interestingly, the Maryland Supreme Court did rule that a measure to loosen the state's rules on drawing congressional districts could remain on the November ballot with revised wording. However, the court could not make a similar ruling on the future of legal real money casino apps.
In order to expand regulated gaming in the state, which would potentially usher in some of the best online casinos if voters signed off on their legalization, any measure needs to garner approval from the General Assembly. That approval, though, never came.
Sen. Ron Watson re-introduced a bill earlier this year that would have established a voter referendum on gaming expansion. It was one of two connected bills that ultimately stalled in committee.
Watson paired two bills, one that planned to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment and the other to create a regulatory framework to oversee licensed online casinos. After withdrawing one bill, the other proposal missed the state legislature's crossover deadline. On top of that, a companion bill from Del. Vanessa Atterbeary also failed to reach the floor.
Watson committed to revitalized efforts in 2027
Already featuring retail casinos and online sports betting, Maryland has since looked to legalize online casino gaming. Doing so this year would have made it the ninth state to regulate iGaming after the Maine online casino market earned passage in early 2026.
However, some land-based casino operators in Maryland have testified against past online casino proposals, noting that legalizing casino games online would cannibalize retail revenue while failing to generate enough tax revenue to offset those losses.
For his part, Watson is not backing down from taking another run at legalizing iGaming in Maryland. The General Assembly reconvenes in January, and Watson said he plans to keep pushing legalization.
That said, how the next efforts go will depend on if lawmakers can agree on tax rates and the impact that new online casinos might have on retail casinos.
Written by Grant Lucas
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