For proponents of sports wagering in Maryland, it would appear there are still some things to iron out as it relates to the administration of things. Per one recent report, a sports betting trade group racked up a campaign-related fine in Maryland, which is believed to be the first of its kind. At its monthly meeting late last month, the Maryland State Board of Election discussed a $48,000 find for the Sports Betting Alliance for failing to comply with Maryland’s 48-hour disclosure requirements. According to the article, the fine accrued $1,000 for each day the paperwork was missing. Per SBA spokesperson Nathan Click, this was “simply a filing error by our compliance team…as soon as we realized the mistake, we immediately filed the missing form.”
For this article, SBS will dive deeper into the latest wagering news coming out of Maryland along with more notes and information about sports betting in the state.
According to the same report, the fines for the SBA are associated with the 2020 campaign year, where member companies contributed more than $5 million to the “Vote Yes on Question 2” campaign. This was a successful investment as voters approved Maryland sports betting and sports betting launched in the state with in-person sportsbooks in 2021, while online sportsbooks came later in 2022.
For regular readers of this space, the Sports Betting Alliance in Maryland is a familiar group. The SBS is a national organization representing BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel. All four of the operators have Maryland sports betting licenses. Per other reports, FanDuel controlled more than 45% of the market in Maryland in May, taking $146.3 million in wagers. In 2023, FanDuel and DraftKings took more than 80% of all bets in Maryland.
As noted in the same report, the disclosures are part of a double filing requirement in Maryland for organizations that donate more than $10,000. All contributions to election candidates were publicly disclosed within 30 days through candidates committee reports, but the SBA in this case, failed to file its corresponding paperwork. The publicly available SBA report has not been updated as of late June though. Along with the ballot initiative, SBA members also contributed to various political candidates in Maryland which includes former Gov. Larry Hogan. Jared DeMarinis, director of candidacy and campaign finance for the board, told one source that SBA failed to disclose in a timely manner, and the organization acted in good faith when alerted to the issue.
The fine comes as governmental attention on online gaming continues to mount. However, these fines are unrelated to any crackdown on sports betting, according to DeMarinis. Last year, the New York Times published a series highlighting the extensive lobbying efforts of sports betting companies. More recently, legislators and regulators have been looking at the industry’s marketing tactics with more states and Canada looking toward restricting online gaming advertisements.
After you are all squared away regarding the latest sports wagering and gaming news coming out of Maryland, make sure to tap into all the resources that SBS has put together for you. For more information related to the topic in this article, our Maryland sports betting guide is a great page to bookmark for the latest news coming out of the Old Line State. Moreover, if you are in need of more information on how to maximize your wagers, then the SBS best bonus betting sites rundown is just for you. On this page, you can find tips for getting the most out of promotions and a catalog of different bonus offers. Finally, for those looking for some higher stakes, the SBS VIP sports betting sites breakdown is a great page to peruse and see if VIP wagering is for you.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
Read Chris's ProfileAsk Chris about this guide:
