Maryland legislators urged to "open up the sports books"

"Right now, there's more momentum for repealing [the sports betting restrictions] than ever before," Sara Slane, a lobbyist for the American Gaming Association, told members of the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Gaming Oversight on Tuesday.

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I would urge you and other legislators to get out in front of this, because when it does happen you're going to have states ready to go in first position... to open up sports books

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According to the Baltimore Business Journal, legislation related to sports gambling has failed to win approval in recent sessions. Furthermoe, a measure that would have ordered a study on implementing sports wagering in the state and allowed a voter referendum to authorize the practice if the PASPA Act is overruled never made it out of a House committee, the Baltimore Business Journal reported.

Last week, the US highest court confirmed it will hear oral arguments in the New Jersey sports betting case on December 4. A final decision is expected to be announced between April and June, Slane said.

There are six casinos in Maryland:

• Rocky Gap Casino Resort
• Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
• Hollywood Casino Perryville
• Maryland Live! Casino
• Ocean Downs
• MGM National Harbor

Owners of the three biggest venues –Maryland Live!, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, and MGM National Harbor– have come publicly to endorse the legalizations of sports betting considering that each individual state should be able to have its own say in the debate.