Maryland Casino Laws
Introduction to Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
- The regulations regarding gambling are permissive, and although there aren’t that many Maryland casinos locations, this small state offers a wide variety of options. Also, some starting steps have been made in the online market, but there’s still a long way to go until we see the first Maryland online casino. The alternatives are numerous, and the law-makers are rather open to the novelties in the field.
- Maryland gambling laws are strict for activities that are not specifically legal. Possession of gambling devices is illegal for residents. This also applies to vessels that may go out into international waters. Charities must register with local authorities.
In October 2012, it reformed under its present name with added responsibilities as regulator of casinos in Maryland (Chapter 1, Acts of 2012, 2nd Special Session). The Maryland Lottery and gambling casinos in the State are overseen by the Agency (Code State Government Article, secs. 9-101 through 9-125).
Maryland slot machine casino gambling consists of six land-based casinos with video lottery terminal (VLT) slot machines. Cruise ships traveling in international waters also offer onboard gambling options.
A minimum theoretical payout limit was been set by Maryland law. However, no actual return statistics are publicly available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Maryland*
The minimum legal gambling age in Maryland depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
Further, the minimum gambling age is 18 for cruises shipping out of Baltimore.
In 2008, Maryland voters approved having slot machines at five locations. This constitutional amendment included a licensing and regulatory legal framework for casino operators, employees, and contractors as well as specifying where to allocate state gaming income tax revenue.
In 2012, Maryland voters further approved a gaming expansion bill allowing table games at Maryland’s casinos as well as another Maryland casino. This sixth gambling license, awarded in December 2013, resulted in MGM National Harbor’s opening 3 years later.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Maryland
It is legal to own a slot machine in Maryland privately if it is 25 years old or older.
The state gaming commission is Maryland Lottery and Gaming, responsible for overseeing gaming regulations compliance, employee background checks, the day-to-day operation of machines at each casino, and more.
Gaming Control Board in Maryland
There are six non-tribal casinos and two international cruise ships based in Maryland.
The largest casino in Maryland is Live! Casino Hotel Maryland with 3,853 gaming machines in January 2020.
The second-largest casino is MGM National Harbor with 3,135 gaming machines in January 2020.
Casinos in Maryland
Commercial Casinos in Maryland
Maryland’s six land-based casinos are:
- Hollywood Casino Perryville located 44 miles northeast of Baltimore.
- Live! Casino Hotel Maryland in Hanover located 11 miles southwest of Baltimore and 30 miles northeast of Washington, DC.
- MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill located 14 miles southwest of Baltimore.
- Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin located 133 miles southeast of Baltimore on the Delaware border.
- Rocky Gap Casino Resort Golf in Flintstone located 132 miles west of Baltimore near the Pennsylvania border.
Tribal Casinos in Maryland
Maryland has no tribal casinos due to having no federally-recognized American Indian tribes.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Maryland slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Maryland is:
- North: Pennsylvania Slots
- East: Delaware Slots
- South: Virginia Slots and the District of Columbia Slots
- West: West Virginia Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Maryland.
Our Maryland Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Maryland? If so, join our new Maryland slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Maryland. Join us!
Payout Returns in Maryland
Maryland gaming regulations require a minimum theoretical payout of 87%, on average over its lifetime, for each VLT gaming machine. Further, overall for all VLTs at a casino, the minimum and maximum theoretical payouts must average between 90% and 95%.
Unfortunately, monthly revenue statistics from the gaming commission excludes amount returned to players. Therefore, actual return statistics are not publicly available.
Summary of Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Maryland slot machine casino gambling consists of VLT-style slot machines at six casinos. Further, two cruise ships offer slot machines when sailing out of the Port of Baltimore to international destinations.
Maryland gaming regulations set a minimum theoretical payout of 87%. Also, overall for each casino averaged over all slot machines, they’ve set minimum and maximum payout returns of 90% and 95%.
Annual Progress in Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, there has been no change in the slots gaming industry in Maryland.
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: Maine Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: Massachusetts Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
One of the states where some of the biggest expectations for the legalizing of online gambling Maryland didn’t quite come through up to now. The regulations regarding gambling are permissive, and although there aren’t that many Maryland casinos locations, this small state offers a wide variety of options. Also, some starting steps have been made in the online market, but there’s still a long way to go until we see the first Maryland online casino. The alternatives are numerous, and the law-makers are rather open to the novelties in the field. At the same time, they ask for strict respect of these laws and risking to gamble outside the legal MD casinos or in those other allowed venues, is simply not worth it. But we gathered a list of USA online casinos for Maryland players.
Best Online Casinos Accepting Maryland Players
| Casino | Bonus | Website | Rating | Features | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2000 | 473 voted Review |
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| 2 | $12250 | 431 voted Review |
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| 3 | $12000 | 279 voted Review |
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| 4 | $2500 | 354 voted Review |
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| 5 | $1000 | 407 voted Review |
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| 6 | $7777 | 396 voted Review |
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| 7 | $3000 | 212 voted Review |
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| 8 | $800 | 466 voted Review |
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| 9 | $4000 | 168 voted Review |
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| 10 | $5000 | 224 voted Review |
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Contents
Maryland Gambling Laws
As opposed to many other states where this domain shared a vast history, most of the times, one filled with illegalities and organized crime stories, Maryland gambling laws were issued much later than those years of reference. Thus, lawmakers have taken their time and have based their decision on the experience that other states had, taking what has worked in the past in similar situations. But, this doesn’t mean that they were rigid. After the 2008 referendum, for introducing slots at some previously defined locations, has taken place, this being the very first step of the expansion, things have escalated in very large strides. Four years later there has been a decision on introducing table games at these venues, this being the birth moment of the Maryland casinos market.
Afterwards, it has become a diversified market, offering besides the gambling casinos in Maryland:
- Horse and dog racing, with one of the venues, is one of the “racinos” types
- Bingo halls and different other charitable gaming options
- Lottery, both state and interstate versions
- Home poker games, allowed by a highly controversial bill
- Maryland sports betting, which the future shall probably bring along this year or 2020 at most after another controversial bill has passed, which states that this form of betting is to become legit should it be allowed on federal legal grounds.
Surely, seeing how the offline options are many, it’s only normal that the laws are stating what is accepted and what is not, to be strict. The gambling age in Maryland is 21, no exceptions added, as is the case in other places. There is, also, a severe definition of gambling devices for instance, which could mean everything from smartphones to desktop computers. However, the betting online business is still a “grey area”, without control or any sort of official regulations and no player has ever been charged with illegal gambling.
Online Gambling Maryland
Online gambling in Maryland is, as claimed before, unregulated in this state, meaning that any website that offers casino gaming services, based in the MD jurisdiction, can be prosecuted. Of course that no player has been charged with illegal gambling, while playing for real money on websites with operating license received from the more relaxed countries, when it comes to betting: Canada, Curacao, Malta and so on. These are the real deal, and while one doesn’t wander off on dubious links, but follow the instructions and the recommendations issued by trustworthy websites, which try the gameplay and share reviews, the only risk a player takes upon himself is that his luck runs out.
However, there are some developments which allow us to dream of better times where online activity is concerned:
- The bill which allows home poker games, besides seeming to create competition for MD casinos, gives hope for future online poker legitimacy.
- Another quirky rule is that of social gaming, which is allowed, with some of the local venues even have their own sites. For example, Maryland Live Casino online business has available mobile real money slots, table games, tournaments, a rewards system, and even a VIP lounge.
- The Maryland Live Casino sports betting platform is ready to be put to good use, especially after the decision to pass a bill stating that whenever the federal law pertaining to money transfers is retracted, another bill sustaining wagering on sports is to be passed. This surely affects the Internet-based operators, seeing how in order to get a larger piece of the pie, they’ll make good use of the advantage of easy access, which is not to be ignored.
To make you not worry about your gambling experience, we reviewed dozens of brands and prepared a hand-picked list. We find Bovada Casino as the best choice. Bovada is legal in Maryland and it offers many interesting features for American players.
- Top 1 USA online casino
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Offline Gambling
Casinos
While there aren’t that many venues of sorts statewide, the ones that do exist are some of the most impressive locations on the entire east coast. The largest casino Maryland has, of the 5 establishments in the state, is the Live! Casino and Hotel, owning 4000 slot machines, around 50 poker tables, and over 100 gaming tables. The resort is owned by locals, and it goes head to head with the commercial and widely-spread brand of MGM, disposing of no more than 3000 slots devices, more than 40 poker rooms and over 100 gaming tables.
These being the case, it’s easy to see why the distaste of lawmakers in Maryland for live online slots, when so many live options exist in the brick-and-mortar resorts. More so, seeing the kind of competition neighbour states bring to the table. Delaware, Pennsylvania and even West Virginia is offering a large number of casinos near Maryland, to compete over state’s residents willing to gamble.
Race tracks
A couple of such locations exist in the state, with one of the most famous competition in the US being held here, at Pimlico Race Course. Unfortunately, seeing how the state is of rather a small size and the 6 race tracks are well spread around the state, law-makers decided there’s no need for off-track betting locations. Therefore, these venues are forbidden, compelling customers to use one of the existing venues.
Charitable
While charitable games are concerned, some counties allow bingo, but not all of them, making it not the most popular option there is. The base of this category of games is made out of raffles, card games, and the highly notorious casino-nights. These get-togethers make another fair point on why no new casinos in MD are to be opened anytime soon. Although during the casino-nights only card games and roulette games are permitted, it’s enough for novices to get a taste of how the atmosphere in such a venue really is like.
Social Gaming
The market of Maryland online gambling has received unexpected help from the social gaming side of the Internet. MD Live! Social Casino is the virtual platform where players can get and enjoy some of the games found in the land-based venue, can play in tournaments, have the option of joining the reward program with bonuses that can be used in the resort as well.
The Maryland Live! Social Casino is a great example of how a legalized domain of sorts might look like and is perhaps giving an incentive for players to become more interested in the online side of things, as well as an extra impulse for law-makers to reanalyze their decisions on the matter.
Future Expectations
The near future seems to bring along some interesting developments regarding the sports betting legalization. In early 2017 the decision to regulate this subject when and if the federal ban would be cancelled, seems to have met its demands. 2018 found the Supreme Court issuing a decision in that direction, and everyone assumes it’s only a matter of time before we can see the first sports booking platforms. The only question is how many casinos in Maryland are going to start investing already in getting ready for the first wave of customers.
On the downside, there are some bills submitted for banning daily fantasy sports and while at this moment there hasn’t come to any final conclusion and the sites are still active, things look pretty bleak up ahead.
Also, MD being a populous state means there are some talks about opening new casinos in Maryland, although the bill which allows home poker games along with the organization of casino-nights put the necessity of opening new such venues in doubt.
You Might Also be Interested in:
Ohio Casino Laws
Virginia state online casinos
Washington online casinos
Pennsylvania state online casinos
Delaware online casinos
Is gambling legal in Maryland?
Yes, most forms are legal. Maryland gambling laws are quite permissive and allow a variety of types; land-based casinos exist, as well as racinos. Bingo is allowed, with most charitable games as well. Sports betting is up next but with some problems, and perhaps online gambling will soon follow.
Is online gambling legal in Maryland?
For now, the only option is to play on the carefully selected off-shore websites. There has been a bill passed recently to allow home poker games, which hopefully is going to open the window for the regulation of online poker in Maryland.
What type of legit Maryland online gambling is there?
First, for a complete experience, the only accepted way is to join the off-shore sites reviewed recommended in the list above. Another option is to go play in the Maryland Live Casino online platform of social gaming. Also, awaiting soon for the legalization of online sports betting Maryland, advanced debates being held on this topic.
Is online poker legal in Maryland?
Maryland Gambling Laws
Maryland online poker hasn’t been legalized just yet, and it’s still considered a grey area. But while there aren’t any US-based websites to offer these services, there are some verified sites, like those from the list above, registered outside borders, such as Bovada, Maryland players can use.
How can I transfer money in and out of sites that offer online poker for Maryland players?
All the websites that accept Maryland online poker players have certain terms and conditions regarding the accepted means of transferring money to and from the virtual account. There are some limitations that are put in place especially for the safety of the player, as for example e-wallets are generally not accepted. Also, some of the restrictions are because the banks involved need to apply some extra security measures, which might delay the transactions.
What is the gambling age in Maryland?
The Maryland gambling age, regardless if it’s about playing in an MD casino, or any other form of gambling, is of 21 years old.
Is There A Casino In Maryland
How is the Maryland online casino market developing?
There are two aspects that give us hope that the future is bound to bring favourable development:
Kentucky Casino Laws
- There are talks about opening new Maryland casinos, on account of the state has a larger population than the 5 casinos’ capacity
- MD Live online casino, the platform used for social gaming, already offers versions of slots and table games, with tournaments and rewards system, quite similar to the way a regular virtual establishment does.