Maryland’s Senate Budget and Taxation Committee held a hearing this week on HB 1014, the bill that proposes to broaden commercial gaming in the state to encompass sports betting. HB 1014 would free up the State Lottery and Gaming Commission to sanction ‘certain sports wagering licences’.
Integral to the bill is a motion calling for sports betting in Maryland to be included on the November ballot as a referendum. Delegate Frank Turner offered a brief testimony at the hearing, during which he confirmed that if the bill is passed by the end of the Maryland General Assembly session, it will make a November ballot.
Turner also explained that under the auspices of the bill, all revenue from sports betting in Maryland will go to the state’s Education Trust Fund. In line with other ongoing similar bills, implementation of HB 1014 is reliant on the United States Supreme Court repealing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
