Sports Betting in Maryland

Sports betting in Maryland has been illegal since October 28, 1992, when George H.W. Bush signed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which outlawed sports betting in states that did not already have laws allowing it. However, retail sports betting became legal in Maryland in April of 2021. New laws were passed for online sports betting in the state and betting became live on November 23, 2022.

Here at TJ, Coach Holste was interviewed on his opinions regarding sports betting in the state of Maryland. When asked how he feels regarding the downsides of implementing the new laws making it legal to bet on sports in Maryland, Holste stated, “The state will most likely see an increase in gambling addiction and financial strain due to bettors losing money and betting more to try and break even.” Holste added to his previous point, “Bettors will make non-sensible bets to try and regain their losses, therefore spiral into more losses.” Holste was questioned about what he believes the benefits are to the legalization of sports betting in Maryland to which he responded, “The state will tax much of the earnings from sports betting and allocate that money to infrastructure and education.” Holste also stated, “Excitement for sports will increase, people will flip through different games if they have wagers running on multiple sports. It will increase excitement and watching of sports.” Holste believes making sports betting legal in the state of Maryland is more beneficial than not.

Mr. Raymond, also known as “RayRayBuckets” or “RayRayDrip,” was interviewed on his perspectives regarding sports betting in Maryland. When asked what his input was on the downsides of the legalization in Maryland to which he responded, “people that don’t know how to manage their money could lose more money and fall into debt.” He then stated, “the only way to make money back is to keep betting which often leads to more losses.” When asked what he believes the benefits of the legalization is, he stated, “Well I don’t have to drive to Pennsylvania
anymore,” in a laughing manner. He followed up and stated, “It makes sports a lot more fun to watch, as people have a reason to watch with money on the line.” He goes on to say, “Just this season college football became a lot more interesting and popular among myself and friends due to sports betting being legal.” Mr. Raymond also agrees that sports betting in the state was beneficial to legalize.

Sports betting has many benefits but can also have its downsides. Before betting, ensure you’re researching the best outcomes of the game and placing sensible bets. As our sports betting, enthusiasts each stated, “people that are unable to manage finances properly will find themselves placing more bets to make that money back.”

With that being said, happy betting!