Maryland’s six casinos generated $160,007,163 in gaming revenue in August, a 6% drop from a year earlier and the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year decline, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. Revenue was down 3.7% in May, 2.4% in June, and 4.7% in July before August’s steeper slide, leaving casino revenue for the first two months of fiscal 2026 down roughly 2.5% from the same period last year.
The state’s cut fell along with it. Casino contributions to Maryland totaled $68,507,667 in August, down 4.2% from a year earlier, including $50,163,421 that went to the Education Trust Fund — the single largest beneficiary of casino proceeds and a funding stream now shrinking at the same time state lawmakers are grappling with a projected budget shortfall that officials estimate will grow from $2.3 billion this term to $4.1 billion by fiscal 2031. Casino money also delivered nearly $8.6 million to host communities and jurisdictions, $8 million to the horse racing industry, and $1.7 million to support small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Only two of the state’s six casinos posted year-over-year gains. Hollywood Casino Perryville led with a 10.3% increase to $7.4 million, and Ocean Downs Casino in Worcester County edged up 0.1% to $10.3 million. The rest declined: MGM National Harbor, still the state’s top earner at $66.5 million, fell 5.1%; Live! Casino & Hotel dropped 10.2% to $56.7 million; Horseshoe Casino Baltimore fell 5% to $14.3 million; and Rocky Gap Casino Resort declined 4.1% to $4.7 million.
The slide comes as Maryland lawmakers have repeatedly failed to legalize online casino gaming, a step supporters argue could offset the decline in retail casino traffic and help close the state’s widening budget gap. Sen. Ron Watson’s latest attempt this year, Senate Bill 885, would have put the question to voters in a November 2026 referendum, but it stalled in session alongside prior efforts, leaving the issue “effectively shelved until at least next year.” Opposition has come largely from local officials and casino operators worried that online gaming would pull traffic away from physical venues — Ocean Downs Casino General Manager Bobbi Jones has argued that “iGaming shifts gambling to phones and living rooms while putting those jobs and community investments at risk.” Meanwhile, neighboring Virginia has advanced its own online casino legislation this year, adding to pressure on Maryland as a growing number of Mid-Atlantic states — including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and now Virginia — move ahead of it in the online casino market.
Full casino-by-casino figures are available in the Lottery and Gaming Control Agency’s August 2026 revenue worksheets.
