The Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Commission will meet on Thursday to consider three more applicants for Maryland sports betting licenses.
Lottery & Gaming has the responsibility to determine whether an applicant is “qualified” for licensing. In some cases, after such a finding, the applicants move on to the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) to be “awarded” a license. The three applicants being considered this week are all applying for operator licenses. As such, they are not required to go before the SWARC.
Two Applications From Same Brand Name
Two applications for Sports Wagering Facility Operator Licenses are attached to essentially the same company. Those two applicants are Parx Interactive Maryland, Inc. (Canton I) and Parx Interactive Maryland, Inc. (Canton II).
If eventually issued operator licenses, Parx Interactive would be the operator for two planned Greene Turtle retail sportsbooks. The Greene Turtle is a familiar group of sports bar-restaurants in Maryland.
The two new Greene Turtles with sportsbooks are planned for locations in the Canton section of Baltimore City and for Towson in Baltimore County.
Before those Greene Turtles can begin accepting bets, they must get final approval from the Lottery & Gaming Control Agency. That would include a successful demonstration of operations and compliance with regulations.
Online License Applicant Based In London
The applicant for an Online Sports Wagering Operator License to enter the Maryland betting apps competition is Bee-Fee, LLC, a London-based company. Bee-Fee entered into a revenue sharing agreement with Veterans Services Corporation to operate VSC’s mobile and online sports wagering platforms.
Veterans Services Corporation, doing business as Vital Services Contractors, Inc., was awarded a Mobile Sports Wagering License by the SWARC in April.
As in the case for all applicants, it would still need final approval from the Lottery & Gaming Control Agency before being issued a license to accept bets. Final phase approval includes a controlled demonstration of satisfactory operations and adherence to regulations.
Initially on the agenda was the application of the Maryland State Fairgrounds, which appears to seek a license to operate a retail sportsbook in partnership with DraftKings Maryland at the Timonium Fairgrounds. The State Fairgrounds was one of the designated retail locations in the original sports wagering legislation that was passed in 2021. For its part, DraftKings already operates as an online sportsbook in the state.
However, the State Fairgrounds was pulled from Thursday’s agenda and perhaps will be considered at a future meeting of the Lottery & Gaming Control Commission.
As of May 1, 2023, there were 10 retail sports betting locations and nine online sports gambling operators. Those online operators offer Maryland sports betting promos for their customers.
