Three Maryland sports betting operators have been awarded licenses for their betting apps but have yet to launch in the state. A Maryland Lottery spokesperson says there’s no deadline for when those operators need to launch.

Queen Sportsbook, Bally’s, and Veterans Services Corp. (with Bee-Fee acting as the operator) were awarded licenses by the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission more than six months ago. Bally’s received a license for Bally Bet at the end of 2022.

Each operator needs to go through controlled demonstrations with the lottery before officially launching. The lottery is ready for the demonstrations whenever the operators are, but the operators don’t appear ready to go live. 

“There is no deadline to launch, and businesses should take the time they need to be prepared to operate,” Seth Elkin, the lottery’s managing director of communications, told Sports Handle. “However, the SWARC will terminate on Jan. 1, 2028, according to the sports wagering law. So each applicant must complete the qualification process in enough time for SWARC to consider them for a license award prior to that date.” 

WynnBET also received a mobile license in Maryland, but announced plans to roll back its mobile betting operations across multiple states earlier this year. As a result, WynnBET won’t launch in Maryland. 

Maryland Lottery Director John Martin told Sports Handle this month that he doesn’t anticipate major changes to the state’s mobile betting market in 2024. Maryland is home to 13 retail sportsbooks and 12 operational mobile sportsbooks, including BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel. 

At a brief monthly meeting, Maryland Lottery officials took action on a few small sports wagering violations, with BetMGM, PointsBet, and Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers) each agreeing to pay the lottery $1,000 penalties.

BetMGM’s violation occurred in June of 2023. The operator self-reported an incident where it accepted a wager on a tennis match despite the result of the wager having been determined when the bet was placed. 

PointsBet and Rush Street Interactive agreed to pay fines for July violations. Each operator failed to notify customers that credit card transactions can be treated as cash advances, which can be subject to additional fees. 

The lottery does not plan to meet in December, so its next meeting will be in 2024.