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Maryland sports betting took a while to come to fruition despite the state’s long interest in legalization. Retail sportsbooks launched in 2021, while the first legal online Maryland sportsbooks trailed behind, launching in 2022.
Maryland’s sports betting legislation is among the best in the country: It permits up to 60 online sports betting licenses, with licenses held in reserve for potential future professional sports franchises. The Maryland sports betting industry has a 15% tax rate, with revenue intended to go to education in Maryland.
To participate in Maryland sports betting, players must be 21 or older and be geolocated within the state’s borders.
The Maryland sports betting industry got off to a good start and has 12 online sportsbooks available to residents. We’ve explored the legal Maryland sportsbook marketplace, finding nine sportsbooks that are worth considering as the best in the state.
We’ve reviewed the entire Maryland sports betting landscape and provided the list of the nine best online sportsbooks in the state:
| Sportsbook | Bonus | Promo Offer | Sidelines Sportsbook Review Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | Risk-Free Bet | Receive a matching bonus up to $1000 if your first bet loses. | 5/5 |
| FanDuel | Risk-free First Bet “No Sweat First Bet” | Receive a matching bonus of up to $1000 if your first bet loses. | 4.5/5 |
| DraftKings | Bonus bet and deposit matching, first bet win bonus. | Bet at least $5 on any pregame moneyline and win $150 in bonus bets if the team wins. Receive a $50 bonus bet and a 20% deposit matching bonus up to $1000 on your first deposit. | 4.5/5 |
| Caesars | Risk-Free Bet + reward program points | Receive a matching bonus of up to $1250 if your first bet loses. You’ll also receive 1000 Tier Credits and Caesars Reward Points. | 4.5/5 |
| PointsBet | Deposit Bonus | Up to $250 in matching deposit bonuses (5x$50 bets). | 4/5 |
| BetRivers | Risk-Free Bet = “2nd Chance” | Receive a matching bonus up to $500 if your first bet loses. | 3.75/5 |
| Betfred | First bet bonus/Weekly losses refund | Bet $50, get $111, and receive 50% of weekly losses up to $1000 over five weeks ($200 per week). | 3.5/5 |
| SuperBook | First bet match | Up to $1000 in bonuses matching your first bet of -200 odds or less. | 3/5 |
BetFred has a sneakily smooth user experience, is easy to use, and has a unique welcome bonus. However, BetFred has some limitations in betting varieties, making it a terrific secondary option.
Everything we threw at the BetMGM it crushed out of the park. The BetMGM sportsbook ranks very high in every category atop most and has the ultra-valuable “edit my bet” function. If you can only have one sportsbook, this might be the one.
The BetRivers app is simple and has a great button layout on the bottom of the screen. However, the top of the screen is a little crowded, but some limitations rank it among the second tier in the state.
The smoothest and most simple to navigate Maryland sportsbook app, Caesars Sportsbook ranks highly in every category. Live NFL Streaming could be the deciding factor for some users, making Caesars a must-have.
DraftKings has some of the best odds, bonuses, unique odds, and promotions. However, the app’s overall user experience is one of the few areas where DraftKings can improve.
FanDuel ranks highly in every category but has slight room for improvement, despite being one of the best. For example, the live betting screens functionality could use improvement.
PointsBet is on the verge of being an excellent sportsbook. Despite limitations to the app’s user experience and some functions, PointsBet remains an excellent secondary option that could become the best in due time.
The Superbook Sportsbook has limitations in a few categories but is easy to use and makes a great odds-shopping option.
WynnBet has a distinct aesthetic and provides an overall outstanding user experience. A few limitations keep WynnBet from being the best in the state, but we still rate it among the best.
Caesars Sportsbook’s welcome bonus is excellent, while the promotions for existing users and its rewards programs are also excellent.
DraftKings has one of the best welcome bonuses in the state to help Maryland sports betting players get started. A wide variety of promotions and tournaments for existing users are among the best compared to its competitors.
We rank PointsBet’s welcome bonus highly, while the app has an excellent selection of changing and unique promotions for existing users.
We can’t rate BetMGM highly enough. It excels in every regard and has an excellent user experience. If you only want one sportsbook in your life, make it BetMGM.
The Caesars Sportsbook app is the smoothest user experience and is among the best sportsbooks you’ll find. Its NFL live streaming feature is a must-have for people doing live NFL betting
The FanDuel sportsbook is one of the best on the market and is super user-friendly. We rank the FanDuel app exceptionally highly.
When we review a sportsbook, we use the same criteria to review every sportsbook. We use the same measures, ask the same questions, and search for the same answer on each legal Maryland betting site. We want to get the fairest and most representative impression of the sportsbook, ensuring we give you the best rankings possible.
The overarching themes of our research focus on functionality, user options, and fun. Here are the criteria we use to evaluate every legal sportsbook in the state:
When we review a sportsbook, we start by working through the entire registration process. We want to find an easy-to-use, straightforward, error-free, and efficient registration process with an excellent identification verification process.
Sportsbooks need to make the user registration process as clear as possible while giving users helpful directions and making the geolocating process as easy as possible.
Best in the state: each legal Maryland sportsbook we have ranked has comparable and easy-to-navigate registration processes.
When you choose to participate in Maryland sports betting, you are consenting to provide your personal and financial information to the sportsbook. Ensuring your personal information is secure in the sportsbooks hand is paramount.
We review each sportsbook’s initial gaming license and the security protocols they use to keep your data safe.
We try to make this as simple as possible when reviewing each legal Maryland sports betting site: if the sportsbook is not secure, we will not recommend it under any circumstances.
Best in the state: All legal Maryland sportsbooks are vetted and licensed by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency and are secure options.
As we explore the user account area and check the security measures, we also explore the banking options available to users. For a sportsbook to score high, we want to find various financial options, including Bank drafts, wire transfers, Debit and credit cards, PayPal, Skrill, PayNearMe, Venmo, and cryptocurrency.
We highly value user options and want users to be able to use whichever secure banking options they are most comfortable with to fund their bankrolls or withdraw their winnings.
We also review withdrawal, deposit minimums, and wait times, factoring these into our rankings.
Best in the State: Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, FanDuel
The user experience is something we evaluate throughout the extent of our research trip and is something we cannot assess adequately with experiencing the entirety of the legal Maryland sportsbook.
When we evaluate Maryland betting sites’ user experience, we are looking for an easy-to-use and navigable site and mobile app that is aesthetically pleasing, smooth, and functional and provides users with the most options and value possible.
We also want to find a sportsbook that does its best to create a fun and engaging user experience while providing players with everything they need to be educated and responsible gamblers.
After all, sports betting is supposed to be fun.
Best in the state: BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook
We highly value sportsbooks that give users an excellent welcome bonus while providing a constantly changing, steady stream of promotions and special events for existing users. We also provide Maryland sports betting options and bonus points with rewards or loyalty programs.
For a sportsbook to rank highly, we want to find deposit matching, risk-free bets, combination welcome offers with few caveats, special promotions, contests, and tournaments. We want to find options that help users build their bankrolls, even if their first couple of bets don’t pan out.
Best in the state: DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM
We put a premium on user options and variety and look for a wide variety of sports and betting lines to give a Maryland betting site a high ranking.
For a sportsbook to score high, we want to see more than single-game betting: we want to find props, futures, live betting, seasonal options (like NCAA March Madness), and special, unique to the sportsbook betting lines in the widest array of major professional sports from across the planet.
We don’t punish sportsbooks for not listing betting lines for second-tier or minor professional leagues, fighting promotions, or racing categories with little to no betting action.
Best in the state: PointsBet, DraftKings
Features differ from functionality, but a Maryland sportsbook must ace both categories to earn a high ranking.
When we explore each sportsbook, we want to find a variety of valuable features that provide inherent value to users of all experience and engagement levels, like bet builders, parlay calculators, live streaming and betting, odds boosts, cash out, edit my bet, loyalty/rewards programs, and special odds and seasonal events, among others.
We give higher rankings to Maryland sports betting sites with excellent betting education materials and responsible gaming measures.
Best in the state: BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel
Sports betting is a time-sensitive endeavor. So too, is anything that could be compromising your personal information. We know that issues can and will happen.
This is why we give Maryland sports betting options with a 24/7 live chat the highest ranking possible.
Best in the state: Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM
Maryland has reserved three sports betting licenses for potential professional sports franchises that could start or relocate to the state.
Efforts to create a legal Maryland sports betting market began in 2017 as a Supreme Court ruling repealing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) seemed likely.
The Supreme Court did repeal PASAP in 2018, but Maryland sports betting legislation faced more hurdles from state lawmakers in the senate and the state’s constitution.
While bill HB 1014 almost had Maryland residents voting on a referendum to legalize sports betting in 2018, the state Senate did not support the bill, ensuring the 2018 Maryland sports betting bill never reached voters. In 2019, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh determined that the state’s constitution would need to be changed to permit legal sports betting.
In 2020, three bills (SB 4, SB 58, HB 225) pushed for creating a legal Maryland sports betting market, with voters approving the measure to expand the state’s gaming to include sports betting. Raising revenue for education was the stated purpose for legalizing sports betting.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed off on HB 940, legalizing Maryland sports betting in 2021. Retail sportsbooks opened shortly after that at casinos and racetracks. However, online sports betting was not legalized in Maryland until 2022 due to inclusionary language in the sports betting bill that aimed at “racial, ethnic, and gender diversity” in the online sports betting licensing process.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency oversees and regulates Maryland sports betting.
Only betting on high-school sports and non-sports events is prohibited in Maryland.
Yes, sports betting is legal in Maryland. Maryland residents voted to legalize sports betting in 2020. Retail sports betting launched in 2021, while online sports betting launched in 2022.
Maryland sports betting legislation permits up to 60 licenses. Alongside the 12 currently active legal Maryland sportsbooks, there are retail sportsbooks at casinos, racetracks, and stadiums.
We’ve ranked above Maryland’s top 9 legal sports betting apps, including major sports betting brands like BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings.
Fanduel was among the first applicants for a Maryland sports betting license and has been available in the state since shortly after legal Maryland sports betting launched in 2020. FanDuel has a retail sportsbook in Maryland at Live! Casino & Hotel.
