Maryland on the Cusp of Legalizing Sports Betting As Bill Heads to Governor

The US state of Maryland is very close to making sports betting legal, as corresponding legislation that would make this possible has ed both legislative houses and is on its way to Governor Larry Hogan’s desk.

Introduced by Craid Zucker, Senate Bill4 was green-lit on Tuesday March 17th by the House of Representatives, after some amendments were made by House Committee on Ways and Means.

Adopted by a Landslide

The Bill was voted in favor with a vote 129-3…

…after which it was ed by the Senate with a unanimous vote.

Amendments made by Maryland’s House Committee have set the question for the referendum on the bill, should it get Governor’s approval.

The question would state: “Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and event betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?”

Covid-19 Rushed the Decision

State’s legislature was rushed into ing the bill, because it was adjourned much earlier than it should due to the outbreak of Covid-19 disease.

This is why the Bill ed all three readings on the very same day. The Senate ed the bill on the final day of the legislative session.

In its language, the Bill set the $2.5 million license fee, as well as annual $250,000 renewal fee and a 20% tax rate. The bill allows for online operators to provide sports betting services for an existing sports betting licensee – if they pay a license fee of $5,000.

The Bill’s Amendments

The B ill was amended on March 6th by Senate Committee for Budget and Taxation . After that, the bill allowed for sports betting at three racetracks: Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and Maryland State Faigrounds.

The Infamous Baccarat Scam

In January, a former Maryland casino dealer, Ming Zhang, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a baccarat scam which harmed two Maryland casinos for $1 million.

According to the Department of Justice statement, the whole scam started in September 2017 in the organization of Zhang and his “co-conspirator A“ Chenguang Ni. As part of the cheat, Zhang used to avoid shuffling all the decks of cards that would be later dealt to both parties.

Source:

“Maryland sports betting bill heads to Governor”, igbnorthamerica.com, March 19, 2020.