The Prospects of Maryland Joining New Jersey in the Interstate Poker Arena – Eye On Annapolis

In 2023, Maryland Senator Ron Watson tried but inevitably failed to get a new online casino and poker bill passed that would legalize real money gambling at licensed and regulated iGaming sites offering casino games and poker services.

Despite his failed attempt last year, he has renewed his efforts to get online casino and poker activities fully legalized.

The bill explicitly calls for allowing multi-state online poker, and if its successful, it means that Maryland could become a member of MSIGA (the Multi-State iGaming Agreement). Becoming a member would enable operators to expand their operations into Maryland.

Lets dive in and look at the prospects of Maryland joining New Jersey in the interstate poker arena.

In the US, online poker has only been legalized in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and West Virginia. Apart from Nevada and Pennsylvania, these same states, and Connecticut, have also legalized online casinos at specific state-licensed sites only. They are classed as MSIGA members.

As recently as March 2024, Rhode Island became the seventh state to legalize online casino gambling.

The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) legally permits two or more states to enter a liquidity-sharing agreement, meaning any fully licensed and regulated poker site operator currently active in at least two MSIGA member states can share poker tables across state lines.

In other words, they are now allowed to seat players from different states on the same tables, which is critical for the continued growth of the online poker industry in the US.

Single-state poker operators are only legally permitted to offer their services to players in the jurisdiction where they are based. They cannot seat players from different states against each other by sharing tables across state lines.

Pennsylvania hasnt yet joined MSIGA but is looking to join, and other states, likeMaryland, have also called for authorizing multi-state poker and will no doubt become a member at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Its looking extremely likely that Maryland will be the next state to become an MSIGA member, which means people living in Maryland will one day be able to play at globally renowned iGaming sites like thosereviewed by Covers.com, provided they are of legal age to gamble online.

According to analysts, becoming an MSIGA member state is crucial for any iGaming operator to succeed when entering a new jurisdiction.

If Maryland is successful in its efforts to legalize online casino gaming and multi-state online poker and become an MSIGA member, it will be recognized as a mid-size member based on its population.

The Old Line State (aka Free State) is smaller than New Jersey and Michigan in terms of population, with around 6.3 million people living there, but larger than West Virginia, Nevada, and Delaware.

State regulatorscommissioned a report toward the end of 2023, which estimated that the revenue generated in Maryland by online casino and poker activities would potentially generate approximately $533.4 million in 2026. By 2032, revenue could gross over $920 million.

Voters have approved decisions to expand the gaming industry several times over the past 16 years, which led to more land-based casinos and sports betting venues opening.

If those same voters decide to back online gambling sites, it still might not be until 2025 at the very earliest when those first sites could open their virtual doors. The state will also need plenty of support from lawmakers in the House of Delegates.

If iGaming sites become legally permitted to operate in Maryland, which ones would players living there most likely have access to?

If any new bills are passed that allow for interstate poker and online casino gaming, the first websites that players would most likely have access to are top-tier brands, such as:

These fully licensed and regulated iGaming sites offer a range of legally permitted, real money gambling services, including casino games, sports betting services, and poker.

They are controlled by some of the iGaming industrys most trusted operators and have games from award-winning software providers. They are also known for having some of the most competitive sports betting odds.

Being able to play at trusted sites like this would mean that players living in Maryland would no longer be forced to gamble at offshore gambling sites that are often unlicensed and unregulated and fall outside of US jurisdiction.Therefore, it would create a much safer online environment for people living in Maryland, and the state would benefit in many ways from a substantial new revenue source.

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The Prospects of Maryland Joining New Jersey in the Interstate Poker Arena - Eye On Annapolis