The Maryland Lottery deemed MSF Sports, a subsidiary of the Maryland State Fair and Agriculture Society, qualified for a retail sports wagering license on Thursday. If the license gains additional approval from both the state’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission and the lottery, it will lead to a DraftKings retail sportsbook opening at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. 3j4wt
The agreement between the Maryland State Fair and DraftKings, which was made in December of 2020, specifies that both parties will share the cost of renovating an area under the grandstands of the fairgrounds’ racetrack to allow it to house a retail sportsbook. DraftKings will operate the sportsbook, providing all necessary equipment and personnel to run it.
DraftKings is operational as a FanDuel, all have retail sportsbooks in the state. FanDuel has two retail sportsbooks in Maryland.
Maryland’s SWARC will next meet on Oct. 18, at which point it could award a retail license to MSF Sports. From there, the entity would still need to go through final technical checks with the lottery before the retail sportsbook could go live.
Sports wagering violations e2o6o
The Maryland Lottery also shared Thursday that it entered into consent agreements with sports betting operators who have violated certain rules.
Betfred was fined $16,000 for April violations relating to “maintenance or use of their sports wagering reserve ,” a lottery spokesperson told Sports Handle.
BetMGM received a small fine of $250 for accepting a wager on a college men’s volleyball match “where one of the teams was not from a league that is approved for wagers in Maryland,” while Bingo World’s retail operation agreed to pay the lottery $750 for “issues involving cash drop and count procedures,” the spokesperson said.
The Maryland Lottery’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 26.
