Complete Guide to Maryland Online Casinos

Best Online Gambling Sites for Maryland Residents

• Bovada  – Best Gambling Site for Marylanders
• SlotsandCasino  – Best MD Casino Site
• BetUS  – Best Maryland Sports Betting Site
• Ignition Casino  – Best Poker Room for MD
• DuckyLuck Casino  – Best Crypto Site for Maryland
• Wild Casino  – Best Maryland Video Poker Site
• BetOnline  – Best Live Dealer Site for Marylanders
• Las Atlantis Casino  – Best MD Bonus Site

Comparison of Maryland Online Casinos

How We Choose the Best Gambling Sites for Maryland

Bonuses

Entertainment

Safety

Transactions

We developed our B.E.S.T. grading system to ensure our site recommendations to Maryland gamblers are fair, honest, and verifiable. Every one of the top sites you’ll see here possess all the attributes and characteristics a gambling site must have to be truly one of the best. Here’s a quick overview:

• Bonuses — Every gambling site offers a welcome bonus, and we examine these closely for value, as well as compare them to what’s offered by other sites. And we don’t stop there. We look just as carefully at any other incentives the site may offer, such as reload, referral, and loyalty bonuses.
• Entertainment Features — We may not know what everybody likes, but we certainly understand what makes a gambling site entertaining. Are the games fair? Is the slots inventory robust and full of quality games? Is the sportsbook accessible to new bettors and useful to experienced punters? Do games and streaming content flow properly and glitch-free, regardless of platform?
• Safety and Security —Security of your personal and financial information should be iron clad. We ensure the site uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) for data encryption—and not just on the main page, but throughout the site. We also check that the site’s privacy policy is complete and concise.
• Transactions — How the site handles your money—whether it’s coming in or going out—is a major facet of what makes a gambling site one of the best. We first ensure the site adheres to banking-level encryption for all transactions. We look at the variety and reliability of the methods the site uses for deposits—and we apply that same scrutiny to how the site processes withdrawals. We even check for withdrawal fees.

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Is Gambling Legal in Maryland?

Maryland allows virtually all forms of gambling, including gambling that takes place online. Poker rooms, casinos, sports and race books, a robust state lottery, and, of course, bingo flourish in the Free State.

Horse racing is one of the oldest and most acceptable forms of gambling in Maryland, but even so, it was not until the early 1900s that the state legally declared that the French Pool (known these days as pari-mutuel betting) was the only form of wagering allowed on horse races.

Virtually all gambling operations in Maryland are permitted to exist only for the benefit of the state’s Education Trust Fund. Bingo has been allowed to thrive since the time it was still called “beano.” Beyond codifying each county’s own ideas of what may and may not exist within county borders, the state has very little to do with charitable gaming. Like states with dry and wet counties, Maryland is comprised of a patchwork of counties where charitable bingo may or may not exist, depending on local preference.

Similarly, between the early 1940s and 1968, individual counties were allowed to set their own rules concerning the operation of slot machines. Maryland established the State Lottery in 1972.

Eventually, Maryland relented and re-legalized one-armed bandits in 2008; table games were legalized in the state’s handful of casinos in 2012.

The passage of HB7 in 2012 exempted Daily Fantasy Sports from Maryland’s gambling prohibitions, clearing the way for the passage of HB940 in 2021, which approved sports betting throughout the state.

Currently, Maryland outlaws playing games of chance except where it is specifically licensed and permitted. Unfortunately, it does not note clearly where the gambling site must be licensed. Nor is it clear about the source of permits. Perhaps this will be cleared up in the future; even now efforts are underway in Maryland to recognize and regulate internet gambling.

In the meantime, if you are concerned about the legality of any sort of gambling in Maryland, we recommend you consult a local gambling attorney.

Land-Based Gambling Options in Maryland

You won’t find any tribal casinos in Maryland, but the state has licensed six commercial casinos within its borders. The state has also licensed a number of nationwide online sportsbooks to operate within the state. Bingo has always been popular in Maryland, and most cities have at least one bingo hall.

Incidentally, only recently did the state take control of many forms of gambling; in the past, it left such decisions up to the individual counties.

Casinos

Poker Rooms

Sportsbooks

Horse Racing

Lottery

Since 1973, the Maryland Lottery has generated more than $19 billion in revenue. Over the years, it has added multi-state games such as Mega Millions and Powerball to its inventory of games. The Maryland Lottery has licensed approximately 4,400 retailers throughout the state. While it offers a site and an app to monitor and record purchased tickets, it has not added online sales to its repertoire.

Bingo Halls

Maryland Gambling History

Future of Gambling in Maryland

Maryland has already made great strides into the reality of gambling in the 21st century, and the fact that its legislature is seriously considering a statute to legalize online casinos within the state should be encouraging to all Maryland gamblers.

On the other hand, the states confusing array of county-specific gambling rules suggests that the question of whether a specific type of gambling is legal in Maryland may never have a single answer.

In the meantime, sports betting, casinos, horseracing, and yes, bingo, are all legal in Maryland, with offshore gambling sites providing convenient alternative sources of entertainment.

Gambling Responsibly

Most states that permit any sort of gambling within their borders show concern that their citizens are gambling responsibly. Maryland is such a state, and it has implemented several programs to help Marylanders who may find themselves the victims of problem gambling.

National estimates say a very small percentage of adults are problem gamblers (1%), but with an adult population of 3.7 million, Maryland has to prepare for up to 37,000 people that are vulnerable to gambling problems. The Maryland Lottery has gone so far as to offer free assessment and treatment of problem gambling to the state’s residents.

Here are the primary resources available to Maryland gamblers:

• Maryland Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-426-2537
• Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling
• Maryland Alliance for Responsible Gambling

Legal Sources

1. Pari-mutuel and simulcast horseracing legal, Justia
2. Where the Money Goes, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency
3. Maryland state sets a framework for all 23 counties and as well as the city of Baltimore in which to administer gaming, bingo, and raffles within their respective jurisdictions, CaseText
4. State Lottery created, Maryland State Archives
5. VLTs approved, Maryland State Archives
6. Maryland exempts DFS from gambling prohibition, Maryland General Assembly
7. Sports Betting Legalized, LegiScan
8. Law legalizing online casinos stalled in committee, Maryland Legislature
9. Table games approved for Maryland casinos, Maryland Legislature
10. Slot machines outlawed, Archives of Maryland Online
11. Charles County legalizes slot machines, Maryland Manual Online
12. Calvert County legalizes slot machines, Maryland Manual Online
13. Mary’s County legalizes slot machines, Maryland Manual Online
14. Anne Arundel County legalizes slot machines, Maryland Manual Online
15. Pari-mutuel betting begins at Pimlico Race Course, Pimlico official website

Get Started at Maryland Online Casinos

Gamblers in Maryland looking to play at online casinos should start with Bovada. They offer wide selection of casino games, table games, live dealer games, and a full sportsbook. Their ability to cater to multiple different types of gamblers is why they are the best gambling site for Marylanders.

Those looking for the best Maryland online casino will find a lot to enjoy at SlotsandCasino, which offers more than 500 video slots. If you’re looking for a strong bookmaker, BetUS provides thousands of betting markets across almost 30 unique categories.

Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he’s a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects.

When it comes to the NFL, Kevin’s favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.

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