DraftKings is on the agenda of the state Lottery and Gaming Control Commission’s monthly meeting Thursday for a vote on its qualifications for a Maryland sports betting facility operator’s license.
It is also expected that DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland will be the operator for the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
The Fairgrounds, which already has an OTB and has run live racing during the state fair, hasn’t formally applied for a sports wagering facility license yet, but it is one of the 17 designated entities for a sports wagering facility license in the original sports wagering law.
DraftKings announced this week that it was opening the Sports & Social DraftKings venue at Somerset Collection, an upscale shopping mall in metro Detroit. The announcement said it was the first of this type of sports betting venue in the country.
Interestingly, the collaboration is with Live! Hospitality and Entertainment, which also has the Live! Casino in Hanover, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. It has a FanDuel retail sportsbook.
While Maryland has launched retail sports betting, the state would like to be live with online sports betting before the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023. It includes a number of other operators, including BetMGM Sportsbook Maryland.
Maryland retail sports betting had a handle of $15.5 million in July.
DraftKings and Ravens Have Partnership
Previously, DK extended its NFL betting reach when it announced a partnership last August with the Baltimore Ravens.
At the time, the Ravens and DraftKings said that the new designated the online gambling company at the football team’s Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner and an Official Sports Betting and Free-to-Play Partner of the team.
That was DraftKings’ first partner in Maryland, but it was the company’s “fifth active strategic agreement with an NFL team, further advancing their relationship with the league as an Official Sports Betting Partner and the Exclusive Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the NFL,” according to the news release announcing that partnership.
The Ravens are expected to a Super Bowl contender this season. The team also has a casino partnership with Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and the Caesars Maryland brand.
