All About Maryland Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Editorial Staff

@BetMDdotcom

May 12, 2025 01:29pm

The experts at BetMaryland.com have assembled this guide to explain what we mean when we talk about Maryland sports betting revenue, also known as hold, compared to the sports wagering handle that the state reports each month.

There is an evolving sports betting market in Maryland with many online/mobile operators as well as a number of retail sports wagering options at brick-and-mortar casinos. There is also in-person betting at smaller physical facilities around the state. The number of online sportsbook operators and retail sports wagering facilities is expected to increase in the near future.

The handle is simply the total dollars wagered on sports in the state each month. In Maryland, bettors wager hundreds of millions of dollars each month. After a sports betting law was passed by the state’s General Assembly in 2021, legal, regulated sports betting began initially at retail sportsbooks in five casinos in December 2021. Online sports betting launched with seven operators in November 2022.

The revenue derived from online Maryland sportsbook apps is called hold – that refers to the amount that operators have left after they pay out winning bets. Taxable win is the hold minus promotional wagers and other specified deductions. Each sportsbook contributes 15% of its taxable win to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education programs.

Maryland Sports Betting, April vs. March

Maryland sports betting took a step back in April as bettors wagered $513,716,232, according to data that Maryland Lottery and Gaming reported on May 12. That was 12.7% below the $588,500,308 handle reported for March.

Though the monthly handle decreased, the state’s sportsbooks and online sports betting apps enjoyed a better month for revenue. Operators reported $42,398,893 in revenue last month, up 43.9% from the $29,462,687 they won during March.

Maryland received $6,359,834 in tax revenue from the 15% tax on operator receipts in April.

Online wagering commanded nearly all the Maryland sports betting traffic. Licensed apps accounted for $501,403,954 in handle for April. That was down 12.5% from the $573,354,414 they accepted in wagers during March. Those apps generated $41,980,173 in revenue for April, 45.2% better than the $28,919,653 they earned in March.

Maryland’s top sports betting app for April was FanDuel, which reported a handle of $224,600,059 for the month. DraftKings, which accepted $156,894,806 in wagers, was next, followed by BetMGM’s $40,361,309; Fanatics’ $33,510,211; and Caesars, which handled $21,711,527 in sports bets.

Maryland Mobile Sports Betting History