Maryland Online Casinos View Top Maryland Picks For many years, Nevada was the only place in the US to play a slot machine. The one-armed bandit has been synonymous with the state for decades. However, for 21 years, from 1947 to 1968, Americans could find legal slot play in Maryland too. Welcome to Live Casino! Enjoy free slot games with slot machines from our casino floor. Sign up today & play casino games for free. Casino & Hotel is one of the largest commercial casinos in the country, located between Washington, D.C. And Baltimore just off I-95, Route 100 and the B/W Parkway at Arundel Mills. Open 24/7, Live!
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For many years, Nevada was the only place in the US to play a slot machine. The one-armed bandit has been synonymous with the state for decades.
However, for 21 years, from 1947 to 1968, Americans could find legal slot play in Maryland too.
In terms of significance, this fact makes Maryland one of the only states to ban gambling, then bring it back.
This history likely set the stage for Maryland’s moderate but passionate reintroduction back into the world of slot machines and table games.
The state has also become a pro-sports betting state. Voters overwhelmingly voted yes on Question 2 to legalize Maryland sports wagering during the state’s November 2020 election.
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Social casino options
Marylanders have all of the typical options for social gaming. Double Down, Big Fish, Slotomania, Zynga, and MyVegas are all available through Facebook or mobile devices. Interestingly, the Hollywood Casino in Perryville does not feature its own social casino option. This is unusual for casinos branded by Hollywood.
Marylanders may want to pay slightly more attention to MyVegas than other states because of its proximity to Borgata in New Jersey. Although it’s not walking distance, Borgata is a short trip from Maryland and does have options for redemption through the MyVegas site. Maryland residents might do well to investigate the slot options on MyVegas.
Maryland sports betting
Just after the calendar flipped to 2020, Sen. Chris West pre-filed SB 58, which would allow horse tracks and casinos to offer regulated Maryland sports betting.
Fast forward to November 2020, when a large majority of voters voted yes on statewide ballot measure Question 2, finally legalizing Maryland sports betting.
Whether that will include online sports betting is still unclear. Lawmakers will likely convene in 2021 to hammer out the details.
Online gambling
Like many states, Maryland does not have a strict law for or against playing games of chance online. However, the state is rather restrictive when it comes to funding those games. Many banks and other financial institutions are closely monitored for any kind of interactions with gambling websites or operators.
The bright spot is that there are three nearby states (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) that either have or are about to have online gambling. It is certain that the Maryland Legislature will be monitoring those states’ successes closely. It is also possible that Maryland could decide to get in on the online game in the near future. Below is a table of likely operators based upon the companies that already have a foothold in the state.
Likely online gambling operators
Operator | Properties Owned/Managed in MD |
---|---|
Caesars Entertainment | Horseshoe Casino Baltimore |
Gaming and Leisure Properties | Hollywood Casino Perryville |
Golden Entertainment | Rocky Gap Casino Resort |
MGM Resorts International | MGM National Harbor |
Saratoga Casino Holdings | Ocean Downs |
The Cordish Companies | Maryland Live! Casino |
State casino operator history
In 1947, four counties in southern Maryland ignored a veto from Maryland’s governor at the time and installed 9,300 gaming machines in their counties. These counties raked in millions of dollars each year. It was estimated to be over $24 million in 1963 alone, and the scene was so hot that it became the main tourist attraction for the area.
However, all good things must come to an end, and in 1968 Maryland outlawed the slot machines. But the fire for gambling in Maryland continued to smolder. In 2008, residents approved a constitutional amendment to allow slot machines in five specific state locations.
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Things went well, and in 2012 voters elected to expand the allowed games to include table games at the five casinos. They also voted to extend the operating hours at the casinos and to authorize a sixth casino. The six casinos are in six different Maryland locales – Anne Arundel, BaltimoreCity, CecilCounty, AlleganyCounty, WorcesterCounty, and Prince George’s County. The sixth casino, MGM National Harbor, just opened last December.
Casino revenue
So far, the appeal of these facilities is strong and on the rise. Total revenue for February 2017 alone was over $128 million. The addition of the sixth property is certainly contributing to that figure. MGM National Harbor made $48.8 million in revenue in its first month of operation and its effect on the overall take has been a net positive for the state.
All of this has occurred since 2010, when Hollywood Casino Perryville opened its doors. By the standards of the rest of the state’s casinos, it is a rather modest property. There are 850 slots, 20 table games, and an off-track betting facility (there is no poker room). Yet, four years later, the profile of the state’s gaming industry expanded fivefold – four more casinos opened their doors by August 2014.
The largest of these casinos (and still the largest – MGM National Harbor could only take second place) is Maryland Live! Casino. This massive casino offers its patrons almost 4,000 slot machines, over 200 table games, and a gigantic poker room with 52 tables. There are eight restaurants for patrons to dine, a posh hotel with 310 rooms and 52 suites to reserve, and a 1500-seat entertainment venue. This casino is enough to warrant a stop on the World Poker Tour each year, despite the casino only having been open since June 2012.
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Location, location, location
Maryland Live! and the five other Maryland properties are finding such success because of the tremendous location they enjoy. Maryland is a fairly populous, but small state, which means it is close to many surrounding areas in addition to its own cities and localities. For instance, Maryland Live! is a 15-minute drive from downtown Baltimore and also only a 50-minute drive from Washington D.C.
It is also less than a two-hour drive from both Philadelphia and Dover, Delaware. These two cities have their own options to be sure, but Maryland casinos are close enough to draw from those areas for a change of pace or special events (like the aforementioned WPT). All in all, the future looks bright for Maryland casinos, because even with the saturation of the northeastern casino market, Maryland enjoys a roughly central location from many parts of this area of the country.
Land-based casinos
Property | Location | Number of Slots | Number of Table Games | Number of Poker Tables |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maryland Live! Casino | Hanover | 3,941 | 209 | 52 |
MGM National Harbor | Oxon Hill | 3,212 | 165 | 39 |
Horseshoe Casino Baltimore | Baltimore | 2,186 | 179 | 25 |
Hollywood Casino Perryville | Perryville | 850 | 20 | n/a |
Ocean Downs | Berlin | 800 | n/a | n/a |
Rocky Gap Casino Resort | Flintstone | 662 | 17 | n/a |
State legal environment
Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
---|---|---|
Land-based Gambling | Yes | |
Online Gambling | No | |
Lottery | Yes | State and multi-state drawings |
Charitable or House-based Gambling | Yes | |
Minimum Gambling Age | 21 |
Maryland Live Casino & Hotel will reopen at 6 a.m. June 29 for the public, the company announced Monday.
The state’s six casinos have been closed since mid-March to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The casino will allow patrons to enter only by advanced online reservation due to limited capacity.
The casino will implement a phased approach to reopening, beginning with a series of “Members Days” for its Live! Rewards Cardholders, from 5 p.m. Friday to June 28. Rewards Cardholders will also be required to make an advanced online reservation before admission.
© Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS Plexiglas barriers at one table await approval as Maryland Live Casino works in the expectation of being in compliance for opening during coronavirus pandemic.Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan last week announced that he was easing more restrictions, allowing for the reopening of casinos, as well as indoor dining, outdoor amusements and malls. Casinos, with local approval, will be allowed to reopen beginning 5 p.m. Friday.
© Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS Oshan Smith demonstrates a disinfectant sanitizer that sprays a mist in the area with foot markers to remind people to socially distance.Anne Arundel County, where Maryland Live Casino & Hotel is located, will allow casinos to reopen Friday, Executive Steuart Pittman announced last week.
All of the casino’s amenities, including slots and tables games, will reopen, while the spa and many bars and restaurants will remain closed. Patrons will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing, and they will have their temperature checked before admission.
© Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS Anthony Faranca, executive vice president and general manager is reflected in shut down screens, standing among electronic slot machines that are powered to maintain social distancing requirements.Employees will also be required to undergo temperature checks and wear masks. Increased cleaning and disinfecting, among other health guidelines, will be implemented.
© Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS A worker stands before a heat imaging camera that checks body temperature (his recorded 98.0 degrees F) as Maryland Live Casino works in expectation of being in compliance for opening during coronavirus.Partitions at game stations, automatic hand sanitizer dispensers and 6-foot distancing measures have already been installed as the casino prepared to reopen.
Rocky Gap Casino Resort, in Allegany County, announced that it would reopen its casino, hotel, restaurants and golf course beginning 5 p.m. Friday.
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Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker and photographer Karl Merton Ferron contributed to this article.
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© Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS Anthony Faranca, executive vice president and general manager stands behind a Plexiglas barrier at a modified Blackjack table.©2020 The Baltimore Sun
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