Maryland Sports Betting Bills Stuck in Senate
Bill Prohibiting Gambling on College Campuses Appears Doomed
A pair of separate sports betting bills appear to be dying in the Maryland Senate. Both bills were passed by the Maryland House of Delegates, but the Senate has not approved either. The first of the Maryland sports betting bills to be stuck in the Senate is House Bill 1291 that requires sports wagering licensees and sports wagering operators that advertise in the state to have content monitored by a third party. Right now that is optional. The second bill, House Bill 1087, would prohibit online gambling on college campuses.
House Bill 1291
House Bill 1291 was introduced by Democratic Delegate Dalya Attar on Feb. 7. Its summary reads, “Requiring, rather than authorizing, certain sports wagering licensees and sports wagering operators that advertise in the State to contract with certain independent evaluators to evaluate and rate the sports wagering licensee’s sports wagering content, sports wagering experts, sports wagering influencers, and content partners.”
During a hearing before the House Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 29, it was asked if the bill was needed. Some vocal support for the bill comes from Maryland-based SharpRank, which happens to be an independent auditing company. SharpRank CEO Chris Adams also happened to give $8,500 to Democrats in Maryland over the past 12 months, according to the contribution data at FollowTheMoney.org.
The purpose of the bill is for sports betting sites to have their content monitored for accuracy by a third-party evaluator. The sites would also have to pay for their content to be monitored. It would apply only to sportsbooks and their affiliates. Sports touts could continue to make ridiculous claims regarding their winning percentage. Even though an identical Senate Bill, SB 1066, has a hearing on March 28 in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, its passage isn’t guaranteed.
House Bill 1087
House Bill 1087 was introduced on Feb. 7 by Democratic Delegate Pamela Queen. It is designed to “Prohibiting online gambling while on campus at an institution of higher education in the State; requiring by August 1, 2024, each institution of higher education to establish a geofence around the perimeter of the campus that prevents access to online gambling within the campus property, and requiring each institution of higher education in the State to publish a written policy online that is consistent with the provisions of the Act.”
The bill had a hearing on Feb. 22 but has since stalled. It’s much more unlikely to pass than HB 1291. College students who want to bet any sports games won’t be stopped by a geofence on campus. College are full of technological geeks, who would have little problem getting around it. Students could also drive off campus. There is nothing to suggest the bill would be more than a minor inconvenience for anybody who wanted to partake in Maryland sports betting.
College students are going to gamble. They’re also going to drink. That’s all part of the college experience. If a college student handicaps the games, uses a sports betting calculator to find the true odds, and studies the teams, they will find a way to bet. The legislators know this. That’s why it’s unlikely this Maryland sports betting bill will pass.
For gambling news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
