The consent order revealed that BetMGM was found to have been accepting bets as early as November 16—a full week before the market opened and six days before the company received its operator’s license. Offenses occurred via the BetMGM mobile app.
Bettors who were allowed to place wagers before November 23 were provided full refunds and issued $50 free bets to boot.
Maryland was one of several key dominos to fall in the nationwide battle for sports betting expansion. It now rounds out the DMV trio of sports betting markets and provides a home to sports bettors in Baltimore, the 30th-most-populous city in the country.
Maryland sports bettors accounted for $200 million in total wagers in November, thanks in part to the addition of the online market. That was a record monthly total for the state and is a sign of what is to come now that gamblers can submit bets through their phones.
The state’s successful push for legalization also added pressure to states debating similar matters. Texas, for example, has been encouraged to pursue legal sports betting, and lawmakers have cited positive impacts in other states that recently legalized their markets.
A former Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has also become an outspoken proponent of the legalization of sports betting despite showing opposition in the past.
Maryland has a chance to benefit greatly from the success of several local sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and the University of Maryland. The former is fifth in the AFC playoff picture at the time of writing and a real threat to make a run once 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson returns from injury, while UM’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are both strong contenders for the Big Ten titles.