Maryland lawmakers once again failed to advance legislation that would legalize real-money online casino gaming, leaving the state’s gambling laws unchanged after the 2026 session.
Residents can still place mobile sports bets through licensed operators and visit Maryland’s six commercial casinos. However, online slots, blackjack, roulette, poker-style casino games and other real-money internet products remain unauthorized.
The bills and how they failed
The 2026 effort was led by State Senator Ron Watson, a Democrat from Prince George’s County, who introduced two connected bills. Senate Bill 761 would have placed online casino legalization before voters in the November 2026 general election. Senate Bill 885 would have created the regulatory framework for internet gaming and online bingo if voters approved the referendum.
The bills had to move together. Under Maryland law, major gambling expansion requires voter approval through a statewide referendum during a general election. Lawmakers therefore needed to pass both the referendum proposal and the implementation bill in the same session.
That did not happen. SB 761 was scheduled for a Senate Budget and Taxation Committee hearing, but the hearing was canceled on March 10. Watson withdrew the bill on March 13. SB 885 received a committee hearing on March 11, but once the referendum bill was withdrawn, the implementation measure no longer had a realistic path to enactment.
SB 885 failed to advance before Crossover Day, the March 23 deadline by which bills generally must pass their originating chamber to remain viable. The 2026 Maryland General Assembly session ended on April 13. For Watson, it marked another stalled attempt after similar Senate proposals in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
What the framework would have created
Had the 2026 legislation succeeded, SB 885 would have created a regulated market overseen by the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission.
The proposal was built around Maryland’s existing gambling structure but was not limited to the six casino operators. It would have allowed internet gaming licenses for video lottery operators and certain sports wagering facility license holders, while also creating pathways for Maryland-based applicants, social equity partnerships, competitive licensing rounds and online bingo licenses.
The bill did not use a flat 15 percent tax on gross gaming revenue. Instead, it relied on a revenue-sharing model. Licensees would have retained 80 percent of proceeds from live dealer internet games and 60 percent from other internet gaming and online bingo. The remaining proceeds would have gone toward regulatory costs, the Problem Gambling Fund, county education funding, a worker displacement fund, and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund.
SB 885 also included labor and responsible gambling provisions. Applicants would have had to maintain a collective bargaining agreement or labor peace agreement. The bill proposed up to $10 million in first-year proceeds for casino workers affected by the expansion.
Licensees would have had to provide player safeguards, direct users to responsible gambling resources and prohibit credit card deposits.
Opposition shaped the outcome
The legislation faced resistance from casino interests, labor groups and problem gambling advocates. Opponents argued that online casino gaming could reduce traffic at physical casinos, threaten casino jobs and increase addiction risks by making casino-style games available on smartphones around the clock.
A poll released in October 2025 by the National Association Against iGaming, based on research by Lake Research Partners, reported that opposition reached 71 percent by the end of the survey after respondents were presented with information about potential risks.
Because the poll was commissioned by an opposition group, and the figure followed issue messaging, it should be understood in that context rather than as a neutral baseline measure of voter opinion.
The case supporters made
Supporters argued that some Maryland residents already use illegal or offshore gambling sites, and that a regulated market would move players into a system with age verification, consumer protections, responsible gambling tools and tax revenue.
They also pointed to Maryland’s existing gambling framework. The state already allows retail casinos and mobile sports betting and proponents argued that internet gaming would modernize casino-style products, while keeping activity inside a legal system. Critics countered that online casino gaming is different because of its constant accessibility and faster play cycle.
Where Maryland fits nationally
Maryland remains with the majority of U.S. states that allow some form of legal sports betting but do not authorize real-money online casino gaming.
As of 2026, eight states had legalized this: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
Maine became the newest addition after legislation authorizing online gambling for the Wabanaki Nations became law in January 2026, though legalization does not necessarily mean a full public market has launched immediately.
The federal Wire Act backdrop has also become less restrictive for state-regulated online casino programs after litigation rejected a broader 2018 Department of Justice interpretation.
When discussing the broader trend with Casino.com US, Jack Garry, an iGaming author who covers regulated online casino markets, observed that states adjacent to established iGaming markets often face mounting pressure to legalize as residents see neighboring jurisdictions generating tax revenue from the activity. That dynamic has been visible in the Mid-Atlantic, where online casino markets already operate in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.
So far, however, it has not been enough to move Maryland’s legislation across the finish line.
Online casino push shifts to 2027
With the 2026 session over, online casino legalization in Maryland is effectively shelved until at least next year. Other gambling bills also moved during the session but did not become law, including House Bill 295 on sweepstakes-style gambling products and House Bill 518 on responsible gambling, college athlete prop bets and credit card use in online sports wagering.
Any future online casino effort would again need both a referendum measure and an implementation framework. For now, Maryland residents’ legal gambling options remain limited to retail casinos, licensed retail and mobile sports betting. But also the state lottery, registered fantasy sports operators, authorized charitable gaming and pari-mutuel wagering. Real-money online casino play remains illegal, and that status will not change without both new legislation and voter approval.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call 1-800-GAMBLER for confidential support.
