Maryland regulator holds meeting to discuss mobile sports betting rules

The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) has held a meeting to advance proposed rules and applications.

US.- Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) has held a meeting to review proposed sports betting rules and applications for retail establishments and mobile operators. It comes after governor Larry Hogan urged the commission to “accelerate and intensify” its work to get mobile sports gambling up and running by September.

Hogan signed a bill to legalise online and retail sports betting in Maryland last year after voters approved sports betting through a November 2020 referendum. Retail betting has been available for six months, but online sports betting has not yet launched. Hogan has said he wanted to have mobile sports betting in time for the NFL season in September.

The commission may approve regulations and applications at its next meeting, which is scheduled for July 20. There will be 60 mobile and 30 retail licences available. Several steps remain before regulations are in place.

Once approved by the SWARC, the regulations need to be approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review. After that, the rules are subject to a 30-day public comment period. That may lead to additional tweaks to the rules before they’re ultimately implemented. There is still no definitive timeline for launch.

SWARC chairman Thomas Brandt said: “I’m sharing this information to help us all adjust expectations as we proceed with our responsibilities.” He added: “It’s our continued hope that we may be able to begin accepting applications in late summer.”