The latest trend in sports betting legislation seems to be to try to shut down legal markets.
On 20 February a Maryland lawmaker filed a bill to shut down that state’s legal sports betting market. It is the second bill across the US this year calling for the end to an already legal market. Lawmakers in Vermont filed a similar bill there on 4 February.
In Maryland, Senator Joanne Benson filed SB 1033, which would shut down the legal online sports betting market on 1 January 2026. In the text of the bill, Benson suggests that some operators have application fees refunded in certain circumstances. It would not affect the status of Maryland’s brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
Retail sports betting launched in December 2021 in Maryland. Digital platforms launched in November 2022. Through January 2025, bettors had wagered a combined $12.2 billion (£9.6 billion/€11.7 billion) across both verticals, and the state got $143.2 million in tax revenue. Operators reported gross gaming revenue of ..
