Back in December 2021, the state of Maryland joined the growing list of states that now allow legal sports betting. In fact, Governor Larry Hogan was the first resident to place a legal sports bet on December 9th at MGM National Harbor.
However, currently, sports betting is limited to retail sportsbooks only. Meaning, residents, and visitors need to travel to a casino location to place a sports bet. Nevertheless, online sports betting is expected to arrive sometime in 2022 and it will likely contribute to more tax revenue for the state and more growth for major sportsbooks such as Caesars and FanDuel.
How Maryland sports betting impacts Virginians
Sports fans and sports bettors in Virginia should be pleased to know that their neighbors to the north are joining the list of states with legal sports betting. Many of the sportsbook operators licensed in Virginia are also licensed in Maryland — including Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, BetMGM and Barstool.
Thus, Virginians can travel freely across state lines and visit retail sportsbooks in Maryland, and soon, will be able to not only access their existing mobile sportsbook account in Maryland but also actually be permitted to place a wager.
Will the sportsbooks differ from state-to-state?
In general, if you signed up for a sportsbook in Virginia and wish to access it in Maryland (once they have launched), the user experience will remain the same. Meaning, you can expect to see the same betting odds and sport and there will likely be minor differences when using the in-app interface.
However, you may notice different promotions when accessing a mobile sportsbook in different states, and in the case of Virginia vs. Maryland you will certainly notice what is available from a college sports standpoint.
For instance, Virginia law states that Virginia sports fans cannot wager on any college event taking place inside state lines, nor can they wager on any game featuring a Virginia-based university.
Whereas, in Maryland there are no such restrictions. One potential upside for Virginia sports fans is that they can simply cross state lines into Maryland, access a mobile sportsbook of their choice, and place a bet on their favorite college sports team from Virginia.
Otherwise, many of the rules and regulations are similar. In both Virginia and Maryland, you must be at least 21 years of age to bet and all betting must be done via licensed sportsbook operators.
Can Virginia sports fans bet on games in Maryland?
Given how close Virginia and Maryland are it’s likely not uncommon for folks in either state to be fans of teams based in the other state. If you happen to be a resident of Virginia but a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, you’ll be pleased to know you will have no issues betting on professional teams while you’re logged into your account in either state.
Again, the only caveat you’ll have to pay attention to is if you are attempting to wager on a Maryland college game when they are playing another VA-based team and/or within VA state lines.
Future impact on Virginians
All-in-all the official launch of mobile sportsbooks in Maryland should be considered a good thing for sports fans in Virginia. As sportsbook operators continue to develop in Maryland, they will likely explore more retail locations (state law permitting) and perhaps even expand their offering and explore more partnerships with local teams, which could benefit sports fans in Virginia, especially if they are fans of local teams in Maryland.
Because the two states are relatively close in terms of driving distance, sports fans in Virginia now have extended options in terms of how and where they choose to bet.
Story by Mark Hoover
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Chris Graham
