Maryland Legal Online Gambling For 2021

Maryland residents who are at least 18 years of age can legally participate in pari-mutuel wagering, lotteries, daily fantasy sports (DFS), and charitable gaming such as bingo and raffles.

Players of casino games at MD retail casino venues and racinos must be at least 21 years of age to legally participate. This is also the age of participation for domestic sportsbooks, once those launch in 2021.

If you want access to all markets at just 18 and up, you can legally and safely gamble online with an international operator like those listed on this page.

Regardless of the fact that your winnings would be coming from offshore businesses, you will still need to report all required income categories according to applicable federal and state tax laws.

Maryland does collect a state income tax, which includes income from gambling winnings.

We recommend that you contact a tax professional in Maryland to obtain clarification on the income reporting requirements specific to Maryland’s laws.

It is not a violation of Maryland’s state gambling laws or US federal laws to participate in online gambling that is legally licensed, regulated, and located offshore.

Maryland does not have any laws in place that prohibit their residents from engaging in this type of gambling entertainment.

Maryland’s laws have not legalized state-regulated online casino gambling or online poker yet (online sports betting was authorized in 2021), but they do not expressly outlaw online gambling with international operators like those listed here.

When it comes to online gambling, Maryland is taking a wait-and-see approach as select neighboring states roll out their online casino and online poker markets.

As for online sports betting, MD has already put big money on the favorite, with domestic operations set to launch in September 2021.

Should MD legalize all forms of online gambling, the potential revenue would surely be beneficial to the state.

The following kinds of gambling are currently legal in MD:

Casino Gambling – There are six regulated commercial casinos in Maryland offering slot machines and table games. However, there are no tribal casinos in Maryland. At this time, games played with dice are not permitted in MD casinos, such as craps. Also prohibited are "thimbles" and "little joker" games. Legal USA online casinos are available through offshore Internet sites that are certified, authorized, and located outside of the United States.

Poker – Live poker is available to players through the cardrooms located at the state’s commercial casinos. Maryland hosts some impressive poker tournaments, including a $1 million tournament each year. Legal online poker is accessible to Maryland players through several reputable online poker sites located offshore (18+).

Sports Betting – In-person and online sports betting is now legal in Maryland, as a 2020 referendum was passed in November (Question 2). The industry should launch by the start of the 2021 NFL season at the latest, and betting is limited to those aged 21 and up. Meanwhile, Maryland residents seeking legal bookmaker services can access any of our recommended online sportsbooks that are located outside of the US, and they only have to be 18 or older to participate.

Pari-mutuel Wagering – Betting on horse races at local racetracks and OTBs is legal in MD, as is wagering on simulcast races. Residents seeking an expanded range of pari-mutuel wagering options can visit one of the recommend online sportsbooks in this guide. The legitimate services we’ve listed include impressive racebooks with action from tracks all around the world. Our legal US online horse betting guide has more information.

Bingo – Bingo games for real money are legal in Maryland through charitable gaming carveouts, but licenses are required by operators to host these events. If you want to play via mobile, of course, there are several US-friendly online bingo sites that are based offshore and accept players from Maryland.

Lottery – The Maryland Lottery offers a variety of games, and it also supports interstate lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions. However, online lotteries are not yet legal in the state. That said, it is not a violation of state or federal laws to make Internet lottery ticket purchases at legal online lottery agents such as those we recommend here.

Maryland sports betting was legalized by the passage of Question 2, a constitutional amendment brought before the voters in 2020.

The amendment did not itself legalize domestic online sports betting, though it was assumed that legislators would include online provisions when they crafted regulations for the industry in 2021.

That turned out to be the case, as the MD congress authorized in-person and online betting via the passage of HB940 in May.

Retail domestic sports betting in MD should launch by September, right in time for the 2021 NFL season.