Committee Hearings Set for MD’s Sports Betting and iGaming Bills This March
Maryland’s legislature is taking up both sports betting and iGaming this session, with House bill HB 1343 scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on March 5 and Senate iGaming bills SB 884 and SB 885 set for a Senate Budget Committee hearing on March 11. While passage odds remain low, both chambers are actively engaging with the issues — making the upcoming hearings a critical opportunity to shape the conversation.
HB 1343, the House bill introduced by Del. Young, will be up for a hearing in the House Ways and Means on March 3. This bill is based on the Del. Atterbeary bill debated last year. The change in Committee leadership means that this bill faces long odds for support in the Committee and the House of Delegates in general.
The Senate is also scheduled to hold a hearing on Sen. Watson’s bills SB 885 (iGaming and iBingo) and SB 884 (iPoker only) on March 11.
Separately the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a briefing on Feb 27 to discuss Responsible Gaming. This informational hearing will focus on all gaming in the state. We do expect robust discussion around sports betting and the potential legalization of iGaming. The meeting archive can be found here on YouTube.
While the current odds of passage remain low, efforts are underway to ensure iGaming is accurately and favorably represented throughout the committee hearing process. We are engaging with Senate and House members and will be heading to Annapolis to do meetings. We will plan to testify on the bills.