Maryland iGaming Bill Faces Key Committee Test Amid Constitutional Questions
Senator Watson’s bill will be subject to a hearing in the Senate Budget and Tax Committee on 01/29. iDEA created and shared an info doc to show the economic potential of iGaming in the state (doc accessible here).
The Chairman of this committee has not been supportive of iGaming and several members of the Committee are traditionally opposed.
Senator Watson is working with iDEA and other stakeholders to have a strong panel to support iGaming regulation, but he knows that there are several concerns with his bill as drafted.
There is an effort to remove the constitutional referendum requirement from iGaming. This is critical because the state needs the money now. A referendum couldn’t happen until Nov 26, thus, no revenue to the state until 2027 at the earliest. Getting the State AG to issue an opinion that removes this requirement is a big political challenge.