Maryland Sports Betting News: More Than $200 Million Sports Wagers Handled In November

Maryland Sports Betting News

Mobile/online sports betting officially launched less than a month ago in late November, and it has already been a massive success.

There was a major push for a while to get sports betting going in the “Old Line State”, and the wait has turned out to be worthwhile for sports fans. On Monday, we learned just how popular sports betting has been here in Maryland in the early going.

According to the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency, customers in Maryland placed just over $186 million in mobile wagers from Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, and nearly $64 million of it came via “free promotional play”. In the announcement, the agency also stated that “Maryland’s combined mobile and retail sports wagering handle during November 2022 totaled” just over $219 million.

FanDuel led the way in Maryland with a whopping $89.9 million in mobile handling. The DraftKings sportsbook was second at $69.6 million, with BetMGM behind at $15.1 million.

The available sportsbooks in Maryland have many special offers to new customers upon signing up. This includes a BetMGM Maryland bonus code where if you join now, you can get first bet insurance of up to $1,000 in free bets if you don’t win.

Every sports betting licensee in the state of Maryland gives 15 percent of taxable wins to its “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund”. The fund, which passed legislation in 2020, aims toward improving public education in Maryland.

Per Tommie Clark of WBAL-TV, John Martin — the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director — estimated that the state could garner “about $25 to $30 million annually for” the aforementioned Future Fund.

Sports betting has quickly taken off in Maryland, and there’s no telling how much more it could grow overtime. In 2023, fans in the state will be able to place wagers on the Baltimore Orioles of MLB as well as the Baltimore Ravens and collegiate teams like the Maryland Terrapins’ football and basketball programs throughout the course of an entire season.

Teams To Bet On In Maryland

The state of Maryland itself has two teams among the “Big Four” North American professional sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB) in the Ravens and Orioles.

The Ravens are sitting comfortably at 9-4 heading into Week 15 and control their own destiny for the AFC North division crown.

Even though key players like Lamar Jackson, Gus Edwards, J.K Dobbins, Rashod Bateman and Marcus Williams have missed significant time, the Ravens are still in contention to not only win the division, but also the AFC’s top seed and only first-round bye.

But the Ravens aren’t the only local NFL team for fans in Maryland to bet on. The Washington Commanders actually play their home games at FedExField, which is located in Landover —  less than an hour’s drive away from Baltimore.

And the Commanders have caught fire under fan favorite and veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who has gone 5-1-1 in place of an injured Carson Wentz. Even though the latter has been cleared to return, the Commanders are going to continue rolling with Heinicke — and understandably so.

The Orioles are coming off their first winning season since 2016, going 83-79 to finish fourth in the gauntlet that is the AL East division. Brandon Hyde’s young team looks ready to push for a playoff berth in 2022, and hype around the O’s in Baltimore is really high right now.

There are also the Washington Nationals, who are three years removed from a World Series championship. Washington is in full-scale rebuilding mode after trading away franchise star Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres ahead of the deadline.

Maryland doesn’t have an NHL team nor an NBA team, but Washington has the NHL’s Capitals and the NBA’s Wizards. Those are two other popular local teams for residents of Maryaland to place wagers on.

The Terrapins’ football team is getting ready for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl showdown with the NC State Wolfpack on Dec. 30, so this is one of the last chances to bet on the team until next season.

The women’s and men’s basketball teams are also off to strong starts, as they currently rank 15th and 20th, respectively. Both clubs are potential dark horses to win the national championship in 2023, so they may be fun teams to place wagers on between now and the start of March Madness.

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