Updated: Budget Compromise Reached in Maryland
A budget deal in Maryland was reached and it will not include iGaming.
The legislature reached a deal on the budget that did not include revenues from iGaming. Despite strong support from House leaders, the Senate remained opposed. Even with this new budget, it is expected that the government will face revenue shortfalls to the education trust fund and the general fund because of the unknown costs associated with the bridge collapse.
Maryland is raising a tobacco tax in order to fund the Blueprint education fund. We don’t yet have full details on the budget, but we will need to examine it to see how it positions the state in the future with respect to education funding. Depending on how the Blueprint fund is structured, it could weaken (or strengthen) our position to argue for iGaming as a tax revenue solution in the future.