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The state of Maryland intends to raise its operating tax on gambling businesses from 10 percent to 30 percent.
15% to 30%. https://t.co/AzoeoUzOqP
— SteveBrubaker (@stevebrubaker) January 15, 2025
This comes as prominent gambling attorney Daniel Wallach confirmed that Maryland regulators have sent out cease and desist letters to 11 unauthorized gambling firms and their payment processors.
We have since learned the name of the websites:
- Golden Hearts
- Zula
- MC Luck
- REBET
- Fortune Coins
- StakeUS
- BETUS
- BETNOW
- SlotsAndCasino
- Everygame Sportsbook
- BetAnySports
Dozens of sweepstakes casino sites and daily fantasy operators have inundated the Maryland market over the past year.
Wallach says he is not aware which companies received the cease and desist letters.
"BREAKING: The Maryland Lottery has sent cease-and-desist letters to 11 illegal online gaming operators; 6 responded, 0 agreed to block access. Follow-up letters are being sent and initial letters to payment processors are in progress, demanding they block access."
BREAKING: The Maryland Lottery has sent cease-and-desist letters to 11 illegal online gaming operators; 6 responded, 0 agreed to block access. Follow-up letters are being sent and initial letters to payment processors are in progress, demanding they block access. (h/t @FSDiMasi). pic.twitter.com/TxJvhuSLAk
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) January 15, 2025
One of the larger sweepstakes casinos, Chumba Casino, currently operates in the state. It is not yet known whether they received the cease and desist letter.
Offshore sportsbook Bovada had long listed Maryland among its "restricted states". Bovada has since pulled out of nearly a dozen states in recent months.
DFS contests sites like PrizePicks have also come under intensive scrutiny by some state regulators. PrizePicks is currently available to Maryland residents.
Sweepstakes casinos and DFS sites, while advertising heavily in Maryland, do not pay operating taxes to that state.
Some offshore sportsbooks and local bookmaking businesses allow customers from Maryland but typically do not explicitly promote their website to residents of that state.
Maryland figured prominently in the "Blue Monday" crackdown of online gambling websites in 2011.
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