Online sports betting in Md. to begin Wednesday

New York Times Investigative Reporter Eric Lipton tells WTOP about the rapid expansion of mobile sports betting in the US, fueled by intense lobbying, campaign donations, liquor and cigars

With the FIFA World Cup, the traditional Thanksgiving NFL games and the final weekend of college football’s regular season, some sports fans will likely want to put some money down on their favorites. For Maryland residents, it will be a little easier. Online sports betting will begin Wednesday, Nov. 23.

For those who really want to place a bet for the Monday Night Game, they should be able to do so. All apps that will launch Wednesday, Nov. 23 will run a trial period from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The companies that received online sports betting licenses will check to make sure everything is working correctly before state regulators audit their performance before the big launch.



These are the apps that are expected to launch this week:

BetFred, PointBet and betPARX will launch at a later date.

The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission approved all 10 gaming licenses last week. Shortly after that, the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Agency announced that apps would launch in time for Thanksgiving.

“To reach this point, we have had to overcome countless legal, political, and bureaucratic delays that threatened to push back the launch past the Super Bowl next year. It was completely unacceptable to me, and we spent months pressing for decisive action,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement last week.

“I want to thank everyone at the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Agency for their work to help us accelerate the process, and we look forward to a successful launch very soon.”

Maryland law allows for up to 60 mobile sports betting licenses. Last month, the commission received 21 mobile applications.

Luke Lukert

Since joining WTOP Luke Lukert has held just about every job in the newsroom from producer to web writer and now he works as a full-time reporter. He is an avid fan of UGA football. Go Dawgs!

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