Is Gambling Legal in Maryland? MD Gambling Laws in 2026

What gambling is legal in Maryland?

Permission for one activity does not extend to every game offered by the same brand. Check the product and its actual authorization.

Casinos and in-person poker

Casinos are legal in Maryland through its state-regulated commercial gaming framework. The regulator identifies six casinos offering authorized slots and table games. The table-game framework includes poker, but that does not mean every casino currently operates a poker room.

Casino gambling and access to slot/table gaming areas require age 21. This does not make every hotel, restaurant or other resort area adults-only.

Use Maryland Lottery and Gaming's casino information to identify the authorized properties, then check the particular venue's current games. Physical casino permission does not authorize an internet casino using the same name.

Is sports betting legal in Maryland?

Yes, sports betting is legal in Maryland through licensed retail and mobile operators, for players aged 21 or older. Retail wagering launched in December 2021 and mobile wagering in November 2022.

Mobile bets must be initiated, received and completed within Maryland, although intermediate electronic routing may pass outside the state. This is a wagering-location requirement, not simply a requirement to enter a Maryland address.

Use the official sports wagering page for current licensees and the approved wager catalog. A permitted operator can offer only approved markets; its licence does not make every possible wager available.

Our US sports betting guide explains the differences between states.

Is online gambling legal in Maryland?

Some remote gambling is legal in Maryland, including licensed mobile sports, qualifying fantasy and approved horse accounts. Real-money online casino games and online poker are not authorized. Limited lottery subscriptions also need separate treatment.

The 2026 HB1343 internet-gaming authorization and HB1255 referendum proposals did not become law. A proposed start date is not a launch, and failed prohibition or enforcement bills do not legalize already unauthorized games.

See our online casino laws guide and online poker guide for those product distinctions.

How old do you have to be to gamble in Maryland?

Maryland's gambling age depends on the activity. Casino and sports gambling require 21; qualifying fantasy, Lottery purchases and regulated horse channels use 18. The home-game law's express age requirement applies to the conductor.

Being old enough for Lottery or fantasy play does not permit an 18-year-old to gamble at a Maryland casino. Check the actual product, rather than relying on a general gambling-age label.

Lottery tickets, apps and subscriptions

Maryland Lottery apps do not sell or redeem individual tickets. Ticket checking, ePlayslips, rewards and second-chance entries are different functions from buying a ticket.

Mega Millions, Powerball and Multi-Match subscriptions follow a separate process. The official subscription page requires a Maryland mailing address. You prepare the form, print it and mail it with a check or money order; this is not instant online checkout.

Ordinary ticket purchases and cashing require age 18. Use the Lottery FAQ and current subscription instructions rather than assuming an unrelated app or courier has the same permission.

Horse wagering and remote accounts

Maryland permits regulated horse wagering, including Commission-approved telephone account betting systems that can use electronic communications. A licensed racing association establishes the approved system; a website accepting Maryland customers is not enough.

Accounts require age 18, identification, funds and compliance with the permitted race and wagering-day conditions. The framework is a genuine remote-wagering route, distinct from an online casino.

Contact the Maryland Racing Commission to check the specific system or racing permission. Its rules should not be replaced by a generic casino site's claim that all online betting is either legal or illegal.

Is home poker legal in Maryland?

Home poker can be legal in Maryland under its narrow private-game exception. Someone aged 21 or older may conduct qualifying card or mah jong games no more than weekly, at a residence or qualifying common area of an age-55 residential property.

The conditions include:

• Players must have a preexisting social relationship.
• Nobody may benefit financially beyond winnings as a player.
• No admission, seat, entertainment, food, drink or other fee may be charged.
• The game must not involve a player's use of an Internet-connected electronic device.
• No paid public advertising or promotion is allowed.
• All players' total value wagered must stay within $1,000 during any 24-hour period.

The cap is aggregate wagering, not $1,000 per player, the largest pot or the money on the table at once.

Read the complete home-game statute before organizing play. A private address alone does not turn a paid poker club or internet game into a permitted home game.

Bingo, raffles and charitable games

Charitable gaming in Maryland depends on the activity and local authorization. A nonprofit purpose does not create permission for every game or every place where tickets are sold.

For an online raffle, verify the actual ticket-sale route and local requirements. An ordinary charity registration is not a gambling permit.

Are daily fantasy sports legal in Maryland?

Yes, qualifying daily fantasy sports competitions are legal through registered Maryland operators, with a current minimum age of 18.

The rules require player-versus-player competition, prizes known in advance and qualifying skill/statistical outcomes. They exclude specified direct-lineup contests, pick'em, operator-set higher/lower games, parlays and proposition wagers. Outcomes based solely on an athlete's performance or a real team's score, spread or performance also fail the definition's conditions; combinations of real teams are covered too.

HB518 proposed raising the age to 21 but did not enact. Its proposed rule is not the current age limit.

Check the fantasy registration guidance and rules. Registration of a business does not approve every product it markets.

Sweepstakes casinos and prediction markets

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Maryland?

A sweepstakes label does not authorize a Maryland online casino. On November 18, 2025, Maryland Lottery and Gaming demanded that Chumba stop unauthorized casino and sweepstakes gambling offered to Maryland players.

The letter records an agency demand under existing law, not a new statute, court judgment or proof every platform closed. Factually different free promotions need their own analysis. A casino-style operator should not be treated as a lawful alternative just because it uses sweepstakes terminology.

Our sweepstakes casino legality guide explains the broader model.

Is Kalshi legal in Maryland?

Maryland's regulator disputes Kalshi's authority to offer sports-event contracts without state permission; the litigation cannot be described as finally resolved from the records reviewed here. The regulator sent an April 7, 2025 cease-and-desist and later warned licensees about relationships with unlicensed sports-contract platforms.

On August 1, 2025, the federal district court denied Kalshi's request for a preliminary injunction because it had not shown likely success on its federal-preemption argument. That was preliminary relief, not a final ruling on every contract or provider.

An official August 28, 2026 federal appellate opinion described Maryland's Fourth Circuit appeal as still pending on that date. That dated reference does not establish the complete October docket; no later Maryland appellate outcome was recovered for this review. Site availability alone does not settle the authorization question.

How to check Maryland gambling permission

Match the game and website to the authority responsible for that product. A familiar brand or accepted address is insufficient.

For an uncertain permission or complaint, contact the authority responsible for the specific activity.