On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, Maine’s state legislature passed L.D. 585 that will legalize retail and online sports betting throughout the state once signed by Governor Janet Mills. If enacted, the bill would give the state’s four federally-recognized Indian tribes the exclusive ability to offer mobile sports betting and the state’s non-tribal gaming facilities the exclusive ability to offer retail sports betting. The bill imposes a 10% tax on adjusted gross sports wagering receipts. continue reading
Retail Sports Betting Archives
Ohio Legislature Passes Retail and Online Sports Betting Bill
This past Wednesday, December 8, the Ohio state legislature passed a bill that would legalize retail and online betting on college, professional and esports. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has indicated he will sign the bill in the coming days. Regulatory Framework Under the bill, retail and online sports betting are governed by the Ohio Casinocontinue reading
Maryland Inches Towards Launch of Legalized Retail Sports Betting
On November 18, 2021, Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) approved five casinos for sports wagering facility licenses allowing casinos partnered with third-party operators to provide retail sports betting. The licenses were awarded to the Hollywood Casino in Perryville (partnering with Barstool), the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore (Caesars), the Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover (FanDuel), the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill (BetMGM), and the Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin (TwinSpires). The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Commission (Commission) expects to officially issue the licenses within 30-45 days, during which time it will conduct a detailed review of each licensee. John Martin, the Commission’s director, commented that with the approval of the licenses on November 18th, if “all goes well, that would mean a launch date somewhere around the first of the [new] year.” Larry Hogan, Maryland’s Governor reiterated the state’s commitment to issuing these licenses within this timeline, tweeting, “[o]ur administration will continue to work to get sports betting up and running in Maryland as quickly as possible.” continue reading
Three California Ballot Initiatives Seek Legalization of Sports Betting in 2022
As more states take steps to legalize sports betting, all eyes are on the nation’s most heavily populated state — California. Unlike many of the states where sports betting is – or will soon be – legal, California’s constitution does not give its legislature the power to authorize “lotteries,” a term that includes “games of chance” like sports betting. Accordingly, before the state can take steps to legalize sports betting, California’s constitution must be amended.