Although many believed Maryland had a legitimate chance of passing online gaming gaming legislation for casinos this year, it did not happen and the author of the bill has stated he won’t try again until 2026.
Time to Breathe
The House’s iGaming bill, HB 1319, cruised through the House by a 92-43 vote but the Senate did not include it in its budget proposal, effectively killing any chance online casino gambling would be coming to Maryland. Likewise, Senate Bill 603, sponsored by Senator Ron Watson, also never made it across the legislative finish line.
Senator Watson said last week, “Neither iGaming nor the referendum will move forward this session.” However, Watson did give credit to the House despite its bill’s failure to garner Senate support.
“The House is being proactive in saying we need to take action now because, even though we have a balanced budget, this fiscal need exists and we need to start capturing that revenue today. The Senate recognizes the fiscal challenges ahead but believes we’ve passed a balanced budget and can revisit this next year,” stated Watson.
Looking Back
But the senator has had time to contemplate the failed legislative attempts at getting online casino gaming launched in the Old Line State and has retracted his timeline from next year to the year after next.
“While I could put the bill out next year, it wouldn’t move until 2026. Even if we were able to pass the bill, there would be no execution of it. So, I’ll reintroduce it in 2026, and hopefully, then we’ll be able to pass a bill to add this revenue stream in the state of Maryland.”
Ultimately, any gaming bill that does pass would need the stamp of approval from the voters in a referendum question. But because Maryland voters won’t see a referendum until 2026, whatever iteration emerges as the next iGaming bill will have to wait until then anyway.
“We’ve done our due diligence. We understand the revenues and the challenges. I think we could all use a break. We don’t need to waste a lot of time not undertaking iGaming. We’ll give it time to marinate and hopefully have an even stronger bill the next time it is introduced,” said Watson.
Cannibalization and Job Loss
Some of the major objections to online casino gaming came from two of the state’s six land-based casinos, Maryland Live! and Ocean Downs Casino, that believed cannibalization to their business while labor unions decried the job losses that they believed would result from iGaming.
Yet, far more studies than not have bolstered the iGaming industry as their findings repeatedly support the contention that online casino gaming has no effect on the brick-and-mortar casinos in the state.
Senator Watson remarked, “I’ve told colleagues, as did Del. [Vanessa] Atterbeary (sponsor of the House iGaming bill) in the House, that there haven’t been any proven cases of cannibalization in any state that has iGaming. Unfortunately, Maryland Live! is saying there is cannibalization and job loss when the fact is that they offer online casino in Pennsylvania and are looking to hire more workers at Philadelphia Live!”
However, Watson is looking toward the future, saying, “I have no doubt that a lot of my colleagues understand that the modernization of iGaming is going to happen sooner rather than later. So, it’s something we have to get a grip on and understand this is a vital revenue stream that continues to remain untapped in the state of Maryland.”
