Maryland SWARC Approves 5 Locations for Sports Wagering
Maryland’s SWARC met on 11/17, and after a long debate decided to approve 5 retail locations (casinos) for sports wagering. 12 other locations are in the process of being reviewed by the MD Lottery. The expectation is that retail launch could happen as early as January.
The SWARC will continue to play a critical role in determining what types of applicants will be favored for mobile betting. Several members of the committee have made it clear that they would rather promote minority and woman owned applicants rather than large casino companies.
There is also a new disparity study that is being conducted that will factor heavily on how the SWARC approaches mobile licensing.
iDEA continues to monitor activity of the SWARC and MD Lottery and also communicates with these bodies as needed.
Some key dates:
- December/January – Final regulations expected
- January – Retail launch
- January 15 – Regs made permanent
- 2nd half of 2022 – Online launch