Maryland casinos ask state to act on sports betting licence delay
The Horseshoe Baltimore, Live! Casino, and MGM National Harbor are pressing the state to act on promised sports betting licences.
US.- Three Maryland casinos are pressing the state to act faster in granting sports betting licences. The Horseshoe Baltimore, Live! Casino, and MGM National Harbor have asked the state to hurry things along so they can get their sportsbooks up and running during the NFL season, the most lucrative period for activity.
In a joint letter, they sugged the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) is failing to follow the process outlined by the legislature after it announced a delay in the approval of the pending licences. The three casinos were already found eligible for licences by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission under an “alternative” provision in the state but need a sign-off from the SWARC.
The casinos’ letter reads: “The structure of this bill was very complex but it explicitly mandated that 17 named entities in the State receive ‘Class A’ retail sports wagering licenses as long as they pass the scrutiny of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission.”
“While there has been no formal correspondence to the applicants about a justification for these delays, we understand from media reports that the delays are due to a desire to conduct a second disparity study… to ‘determine whether there is a compelling interest [to] implement remedial measures… to assist minorities and women in the sports wagering industry’.”
Casino owners also said their industry “has hired hundreds of Marylanders to begin working” in newly constructed sports wagering areas. “However, these new employees have not enjoyed their first day, nor have they been given a starting date for their employment, which includes critical health benefits for themselves and their families during a global pandemic.”
The SWARC, which met on November 3 but took no action on five applications, is set to meet again on Thursday (November 18).
