Where things stand with gambling on sports in Maryland

Where things stand with gambling on sports in Maryland

IT WAS LEGALIZED BACK IN MAYBU TTHE ROLLOUT TO ALLOWPEOPLE TO GET IN ON THE ACTIONH BASEEN SLOW.

MANY HOPING TOPLACE WAGERS IN THE COMINGWEEKS ARE OUT OF LUCK.

WM-2ARNEWS SHAWN STEPNER GOES INFOCUS TONIGHT ON WHERE THISNGSTAND WITH SPORTS WAGERINGNOUR STATE.With Ravens games underway andthe college football seasonright around the corner,gambling on sporting events isabout to kick into high gear.But not in Maryland.

Not y.etAlmost three months to the dayafter Marylandwagering bill was signed intolaw, you still canplace a bet in the state.

Theonly game in town for Marylandbettors right nowis t,waiting game.

For Marylanrswho want to legally gamble onsports, wnhe are they gointogbe able to start?

Of coue,rsthat is the question ande wjust as excited about thebeginngni of that process asanyone else.

But theres a ivermey asured process.

Aprocess to award the sptsorwagering licenses.

Thatjoofb the newly-createdSports Wagering ApplicationReview Commission - or SWARC.The group holding its firstpublic meeting on Mony.daHeerprocess works: SWARC willdetermine who should get thesports wagering licenses.

Oncethat is decided the MarylandLottery and miGang ControlAgency vets those candidates.If everything checks out,SWARC thenwa ards the license.Lottery and Gaming then sersveas the regulators of thestatmarket.

Marylandwagering law named 17 physilcasites deemed’non-competitivebetting.

They includelas plike M&T Bank Stadium, OriolePark at Camden Yards, Pimlico,Live!

Casino and Hotel andsome other smaller bingo hallsand bars.

On Monday SWARC tooka small step toward gettignthings up and running.

RobNorton, president of CordishGaming and Live!

Caso,explains: They provided ethnon- competitive licenses withapproval to move forward withto our regulators.

So, nowthat itregulators we should see someprocesses move forwardo at sthe non-competitive licensescan get going.

But what aboutthe others?

SWARC can awardp uto 30 additional competetivelicenses to brick-and- moartrlocations.

And up to 60 onlineor mobile licenses.

Theapplication fees rangeanywhe frerom $50,000 to $2million for physaliclocations.

$500,000 foronline/mobile.

The probleasmof tonight& there is still noapplication process laid out.And there is still no timeleinas to when that will be ready.We are trying to plant a flagin the ground in a verypositive way for Baltimore,for Maryland, and really be asuccess story.

Towson nateivChris Adams is the CEO danFounder of SharpRank.

AMaryland-based global companythat independently keeps trackof and ranks the performanceof betting expertsnd aanalysts.

The longer Marylandtakes to get sports gamblingon its feet, the longer itpotentially takes to keebuilding his business.

Clseoto 70 percent of the handle,which is what people bet, isbased around otfoball.

If thisimplementation does take untilafter football season, therereally no rush then.

Thebenefits that theta ste isgoing to receive from sportsbetngti, like it or not, inthis country, it is footba.llThatNFL.

Right now all ofMarylndaWashington D.C.

Are receivingthose benefits - all havelegalized live sportsgambngli.

21 states and D.C.are in that boat.

10 states,including Maryland, havelegalized it buttoperational.

When fullyimplemented Maryland stands toreceive 15 percent of thegross revenue from sptsorwagering.

Those funds areearmarked for public educatnioprograms. Therewhen those funds will sttarcoming in - for the ste, tatlicensees, and others.

For lalof the small business owns,erfor all of the tangentialindustries that stand to gainfrom this infusion of sportsbetting law, it is going tocreate rippling effects aitsbecomes more and more mmcoplace here.

Allea rdy to goonce we have all the necessyarapprovals from our state andfrom our legislature and fromthe regulators.

The waingtigame continues.

Itbe several weeks.

Welooking at maybe late fall,winter time frame before wecanet g people into the game.We can better serve theMaryland population by doingwhat we do best a ttndwork through our day-in,y-daout business and fullyvet, meticulously, the sportswagering applicants to makesure that we are doing itit wintegrity.

So wthanext meeting of SWARC, whichis tentatively scheduled forthe week of September 20.Again, when youplace a bet on a game aatsports book or, on yourcomputer or on your phone, isstill up in the air.

InAnnapolis, Shawn Stepn,erWMAR-2