Five casinos have been approved for retail sports betting as the Maryland Gaming Commission met on Thursday.
In a 5-2 vote, the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission voted for licenses to be granted to MGM National Harbor in Oxon, Live Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, Hollywood Casino Perryville, and Berlin’s Ocean Downs Casino.
As reported by News & Observer, Frank Turner, an ex-lawmaker in the state, voted against the proposal, citing a lack of African American and minority owners among the operators selected.
“We don’t ever seem to start at the same starting point that everybody else does, and then we get left behind, just like we did with the cannabis," Turner noted of the state’s legal cannabis programme. "We got left behind, and that’s what I’m trying to avoid this time.”
Meanwhile, Randy Marriner, who voted in favor of the decision, struck a positive tone suggesting sports betting could launch soon.
He said: “Even if we waited a month, only the casinos are capable of opening sooner because they already have security systems. They already have the structure in place today to function.
“I think it’s time for us to get these five done, and as quickly as we can get the next two, three, four, however many, we’ll get that done as quickly as we possibly can."
In a statement released on Gov. Larry Hogan’s Twitter he said he is happy to have “finally acted to approve these licenses.”
The tweet continued: “Our administration will continue to work to get sports betting up and running in Maryland as quickly as possible.”
The state hopes to raise around $100m in annual taxes from sports betting, placing a 15% state tax on revenue from the activity.
