Over four years ago, the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting. This allowed states to legalize sports betting if they wished to.
As of November 8, sports betting is legal in more than two dozen states in the US. However, many have only in-person betting. That said, nearly every state has at least put some thought into legalizing sports betting, retail and/or online.
Some states will not go online for years to come, as they deal with political opposition and complex tribal relationships, but many have promising outlooks. Read on for projections on when sports betting could be legal next.
This year, Maine and Kansas legalized sports betting while Massachusetts is just a Governor’s signature away from legalizing different forms of sports betting. The same goes for California, as sports betting is said to appear on the November ballot.
All forms of betting will go live in Ohio on January 1, 2023 and North Carolina is considered a frontrunner to legalize online betting next year.
Maryland’s new opening
At the time of this writing, Maryland only allows sportsbooks to take bets in-person. Online is still pending.
In-person sports betting has been available in Maryland since December 2021. Voters approved online betting almost two years ago (November 2020) but online betting isn’t live yet.
Maryland is projected to approve online sports betting before this year ends or in the first months of 2023. This is great news for bettors and sportsbooks like DraftKings are getting ready for launch. DraftKings Maryland promo is worth a look.
Right now, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is frustrated by the lack of legal online betting platforms available in the state. The pace of progress from the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission concerned him, as he expressed in a letter he sent to them on June 7, before their June 9 meeting.
“I write to you today to urge the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission to act immediately so that mobile sports wagering can begin in the State of Maryland before the start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season on September 8, 2022,” Hogan explained in the letter.
“To make that target date achievable, it is imperative that you immediately accelerate and intensify your efforts.”
Hogan urged the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission to license the first online providers before the NFL season started but it clearly didn’t happen and there’s no update on the status of the latest study, which has to be completed before all applications and rules go up.
Maryland currently allows up to 60 online sportsbooks and 30 retail sites to take bets. Five of them are already getting action; however, these in-person bets don’t contribute to tax revenue as much as online betting would. There’s a 19-month online betting delay at Maryland, which is the longest of any state where sports betting is legal.
Prop betting moving the needle
There are several betting options, all with their own pros and cons. Prop betting has become a needle-mover in the United States lately. We can’t go over what’s next for gambling in the US without mentioning them.
What are prop bets? Prop bets or props are basically wagers not directly tied to the actual outcome of the game. Some prop bets have to do with a full game, letting you wager on the performance of both teams. But many popular prop bets focus on the accomplishments of the players.
You can find game prop bets at most sportsbooks. The more popular the game, the more props it will have. Prop bets can be two-sided wager, similar to a moneyline. You will also encounter props with more than two options. Let’s go over some examples:
How many passing touchdowns will Josh Allen have?
Over 2.5 (-120)
Under 2.5 (+110)
This example resembles a standard prop bet. Her the sportsbooks set a benchmark number and it has odds for the two possibilities. There are also player props with multiple choices, for example:
Who will be the leading scorer for the Boston Celtics?
Jayson Tatum -130
Jaylen Brown -115
Any other player +120
These prop bets look like a futures wager. The example above is a simple one, but some player props have a really wide range of choices. For example, who will hit a home run in certain MLB game.
As is the case with regular wagers, prop betting odds are subject to change, based on the action. If the betting public overwhelmingly favors one choice then the sportsbooks will adjust the numbers, looking to level out the action.