Maryland lawmakers meet with Redskins owner as they consider sports betting legislation

Sen. Guy Guzzone, who chairs the Maryland Senate’s budget committee, revealed that state lawmakers met Tuesday with Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to hold talks on allowing sports betting at a new stadium in the state.

"He asked to be included in the sports betting realm," Guzzone, a Howard County Democrat, said.

The Redskins currently play in Landover, Maryland, in the suburbs of the nation’s capital. Talks have been ongoing with Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia on a new stadium to replace FedEx Field when its lease expires in 2027, the Associated Press reports.

During a meeting in Annapolis that lasted about 20 minutes, Guzzone said Snyder shared his vision for a potential stadium and how to appeal to the general public to create an exciting venue. Guzzone described the meeting as “a conceptual discussion.” Guzzone also said Snyder discussed building a stadium that he would pay for.

"He specifically said that he was not interested in having the taxpayers pay for any stadium," Guzzone said.

Guzzone said Snyder did not go into a lot of detail about where exactly he would like to build a new stadium in the state. "He clearly mentioned that he had options that he was looking at, but that was it," Guzzone said.

Sport wagering legislation

State lawmakers are considering legislation this session to allow sports betting. Last year, the measure bogged down over where to allow it, whether at the state’s casinos, horse racing tracks or both.

Under current law, voters would have to approve of additional gambling in a statewide vote in November. However, a measure was introduced Wednesday that would take voter approval out of the process of future gambling expansion.

"I think we definitely will make some movement on it," Guzzone said, when asked about sports betting legislation this session. "I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t. We don’t want to get behind the rest of the country, which in some ways maybe we are a little bit."

State analysts have estimated sports betting could generate roughly $35 million annually in tax revenue.

Since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban in 2018 clearing the way for sports gambling nationwide, sportsbooks have cropped up in states like New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C. approved sports gambling last year and will see a sportsbook open at Capital One Arena, the home of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, sometime in 2020.

Past efforts to approve sports betting in Maryland have crumbled amid disputes over who should be allowed to host sportsbooks — casinos and race tracks are both interested — and whether the wagering needs to be approved by referendum, Bizjournals reports.