Is sports betting legal in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland has allowed sports betting at retail sportsbooks since December 2021 and on mobile apps since November 2022, for adults 21 and over, regulated by Maryland Lottery and Gaming.
How Maryland got here
Maryland asked its voters first. Maryland Lottery and Gaming says voters approved sports wagering in a 2020 referendum, the General Assembly passed the enabling law in April 2021, and Governor Larry Hogan signed it in May 2021. The first retail sportsbooks opened in December 2021, and the first mobile operators launched in November 2022.
The law lives in the State Government Article, sections 9-1E-01 and following, with the licensing rules in COMAR Title 36, Subtitle 10. Retail books and mobile books need separate licenses, and the regulator says plainly that the law treats mobile wagering as its own license category. One detail I like: at a retail sportsbook you can't bet on your own phone. The book can offer wagering over its Wi-Fi only on devices it provides.
The rules that apply to you
The age is 21. Section 9-1E-11 bars anyone under 21 from betting on sports and bars licensees from taking the bet. The same section says you have to be physically present in Maryland, and mobile books must use geolocation to check where you are. Cross into Virginia or Delaware and the app should stop you.
The state keeps a short, clear list. On its legal versus illegal online gaming page the regulator names the licensed online sportsbooks, twelve of them when I checked, and says no other real-money online gaming or wagering is operating legally in Maryland. I'd check that page before I deposited anywhere. It takes a minute, and twelve books is a decent market for shopping a price.
Winnings are fully taxable on your federal return.
Where the offshore books fit
Offshore books take players from Maryland, but none of them is on the state's list, so Maryland Lottery and Gaming can't make one pay you or settle a dispute. A licensed book is one the state can hold to account. Our offshore sportsbooks section explains how those books work, and the VPN question covers why hiding your location goes wrong at payout time.
The problem gambling help site the regulator links to says to call 1-800-GAMBLER, and our responsible gambling page has more.
*Checked against Maryland Lottery and Gaming on 28 October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*
Related questions
Where is sports betting legal?
Of the 38 states we have checked, 31 allow legal sports betting in some form and 7 do not, as of 28 October 2026. The form varies a lot: some states let you bet on your phone anywhere inside their borders, others only at a casino counter, a tribal casino or through one state-run book.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports?
21 in most states that allow sports betting, and 18 in a few, New Hampshire and Rhode Island among them. The age that counts is the one set by the state you are in when you place the bet, so check that state's regulator.
Is sports betting legal in Virginia?
Yes. Virginia has allowed online sports betting since 20 January 2021, for adults 21 and over who are physically in the state, with each book holding a permit from the Virginia Lottery.
Is sports betting legal in Delaware?
Yes. Delaware has had full-scale sports betting at its three casinos since 5 June 2018 and online since 27 December 2023, for adults 21 and over, all run by the Delaware Lottery.