Is Online Poker Legal In Maryland
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Maryland’s gambling laws are as simple as they come. Some claim that Maryland does not have any laws pertaining specifically to internet gambling, and that is offered as some sort of basis for it being silent in the matter in some way. However, the law in this state when it comes to gambling is as inclusive as it could possibly be. Although there are no laws strictly prohibiting online poker in Maryland, it is forbidden to host live poker tournaments. Home poker games and online poker are not regulated in the state however, but are also not illegal. The Maryland online gambling laws are non existant and the other ones do not mention online poker in any way, just like other USA online poker laws.
Although there are no laws strictly prohibiting online poker in Maryland, it is forbidden to host live poker tournaments. Home poker games and online poker are not regulated in the state however, but are also not illegal. The Maryland online gambling laws are non existant and the other ones do not mention online poker in any way, just like other USA online poker laws.
Whilst the playing of online poker isn’t considered to be illegal the wagering or betting (gambling in general) is considered a misdemeanor in Maryland. There are no authorized poker sites for players in Maryland in regards to the law though there are online poker sites that do accept players from the state of Maryland.
Why should you trust these sites? Well, we're going to get into that more below plus get into some of the common questions that Maryland residents have when it comes to starting out. This page is going to prepare you to go into the online poker world with confidence in the fact that you are not going to get into any trouble when playing poker on the web in Maryland.
How To Play Legal Online Poker In Maryland
If one comes across an online poker site that is willing to accept players from the state of Maryland, there are one or two procedures a player a must check first before playing at said site. Firstly, a player must make certain that their computer is secure, and is not susceptible to online hacking by fraudsters.
One must also make certain that the online poker site you are planning on playing at accepts payment methods via other means than credit cards and bank transfers. Under federal law, bank transactions made for gambling are illegal; e-wallets however are not.
Are There Legal Online Poker Sites That Accept Maryland Residents?
Of course, whether or not a player situated in the state of Maryland depends on the poker site they intend to play at. This is true not just of Maryland though, but of all states and indeed all countries. Every online poker site has its own rules about who may or may not play there; but yes, there are some online poker sites that are more willing to accept players from Maryland, provided that they are above the minimum age required by the website, which is generally set to eighteen years of age in most cases.
Helpful Pages: List Of USA Online Poker Sites
Is Online Poker Legal in Maryland?
Again, although there are laws prohibiting live poker in the state of Maryland, there are no such laws prohibiting online poker or home poker as such. Similarly, whilst there is nothing to say that online poker is illegal, there is also nothing in the statues that dictate that online poker is legal either.
Although it is considered a misdemeanor to gamble in the state of Maryland, nobody has ever been prosecuted for doing so. Theoretically then, if there is no law either for or against online poker in Maryland, then as long as the poker site is permitting you to play; little harm can come of it.
Helpful Article: Is online poker legal for US players to play online?
What Do The Online Poker Laws In Maryland Say?
The laws concerning gambling in Maryland, particularly poker are strictly there to ensure that no poker businesses are set up. By this it means that the law dictates that there are no licensed poker rooms permitted in the state.
There are no such laws governing online poker, and poker played at home isn’t considered against the law if it is private between friends. On that rationale then, there are few laws to stop you from playing online poker in Maryland.
Online poker is not regulated anywhere in the United States, so there are no laws to regulate online poker either. There are however Federal laws to ensure that banks are not permitted from transferring money to and from poker sites and players. Maryland banks tend to take these laws seriously and sometimes players have more difficulty when depositing than those living in more poker-friendly states.
Regulation Of Legal Online Poker In Maryland
There is no official nationwide regulation of online poker in the United States, at least at present... Maryland included. In the future, with the alteration of each state’s gambling laws, the federal government could be forced to pass a law for online poker, but no such law permitting the game or regulation of the game in Maryland exist at the minute.
But with all that said, many states are already in the process of regulation online gambling, poker included, and many other states are considering legislation which allow for the regulation/legalization. Maryland being the state that it is, it probably will not be long until they are one of the states with regulation on the agenda.
For now, the online poker sites which accept Maryland residents are regulated however by independent auditors based abroad. These independent auditors ensure that everything with the online poker site is above board, and that they use random number generators to make online poker playing fair. As long as the online poker sites are being regulated by third parties, there can be no cheating on the sites.
Best Online Poker Sites That Accept Maryland Residents
There are a number of online poker sites that you can play poker at that offer their services to players based in Maryland. However, without a law stating that online poker is either legal or illegal, there is no such place that is definitively legal or illegal.
Certain technicalities will permit you to play online poker in Maryland, provided that you are above the legal age for gambling that the online poker site demands, and that you find an alternative means to deposit and withdraw money to and from the online poker site, because bank transfer between gambling sites and players are illegal. There are many e-wallets and alternative payment methods to enable you to achieve this that are commonly accepted by online poker sites.
BetOnline is one of the few online poker sites that do permit players from Maryland to play and you can learn more about this website by reading our short review we've laid out below:
BetOnline have been in operation in the United States since 1991, and for over twenty years they have survived intact without being shut down, particularly during the harsh anti-gambling laws in the last decade.
Based in Panama City, Panama; BetOnline offers an online poker site to players based in Maryland and they have all of the features an online poker player will need. Their software is downloadable directly to your PC or Mac laptop or computer, and they offer entertaining tournaments and free rolls to their players every hour. Rather ironically, the motto of BetOnline is “because you can.”
Final Thought About The Maryland Online Poker Laws
Although it is often credited as being a harsh state for poker, one must remember that this anti-poker law applies to live poker only. Without such laws either for or against online poker or home poker, Maryland can actually be seen as quite liberal and a fair place to play online poker if you reside there.
Is Online Sports Gambling Legal In Maryland
Players should have few difficulties in getting to play poker online, considering the lack of any regulation or laws for the online game. With land based poker considered a misdemeanor, and nobody ever having been prosecuted for playing online poker in the state, it is highly unlikely you are going to be reprimanded; and with the gambling laws all being amended across the country, before long online poker in the state might become legal anyway.
- »Can You Play Legal Online Poker in the USA?
Yes! While Maryland hasn’t passed any online poker legislation to start building a state-wide poker platform, there are plenty of sites that accept players from Maryland. The Senate did pass a sports betting bill in early March 2020 though and voters approved it that November. This gaming expansion bodes well for online poker, and what’s more encouraging is that it passed unanimously. The Maryland Senate voted 47-0 on SB 4. The bill legalizes sports betting at live sportsbooks and also allows for online sports betting.
Operators would have to pay 20 percent tax on revenue and the live locations include the state’s six casinos and three race tracks. There are options for more locations, like the Washington Football Team stadium. With sports betting now a reality in Maryland, we’ll see if online poker starts making some progress.
Baltimore, Maryland (Photo by Bob Burkhard on Unsplash)
Online Poker and the Law in Maryland
Maryland allows for a fair bit of gaming. Slot machines are legal in some counties, they have horse racing and they have six casinos in the state. Gambling is covered under the Maryland Code, Criminal Law, Title 12, Subtitle 1, Section 1-102. Under the state statute, Maryland defines gambling as:
“Wagering or betting in any manner to receive something of value dependent upon the result of any race, contest or contingency.”
This is an interesting definition that differs from most states. A common definition of gambling for states includes the word “chance.” Here we see that Maryland qualifies betting as something depending on “any race, contest or contingency.” This casts the net pretty wide and could encompass poker, since a lot on the game relies on contingencies. All that means is that poker would be covered in this statute, and is something the legislators would address if they regulate online poker.
You can play live poker at Maryland’s casinos and the casinos would offer sports betting if legalized. This would also include online sports betting. This means the casinos could be open to online poker legislation if it comes up. Maryland’s neighbors are also on the online poker train. Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia have all legalized online poker. The only state that Maryland shares a border with that hasn’t legalized it is Virginia.
Hopefully, online poker legislation is contagious and Maryland is the next one to catch the bug.
Best Maryland Online Poker Sites
The best sites available to US poker players are also available to players in Maryland. The sites below are the ones we’d recommend for any Marylanders looking for a quality online poker site with great player pools, cash games and tournaments. If you want more details, just click on the site for a full review and pick the one that works best for you:
Top Maryland Poker Players
There are plenty of great poker players from the Old Line State. The 2012 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Merson, 2013 One Drop High Roller Champion Anthony Gregg and 2017 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event Champion Christian Harder both hail from Maryland. Here are the top 15 earning poker players from Maryland according to Hendon Mob:
1: Anthony Gregg – $11,979,691
2: Gregory Merson – $11,428,359
3: Steven Dannenmann – $4,827,428
4: Christian Harder – $4,588,647
5: John Brock Parker – $3,813,876
6: Justin Liberto – $3,722,243
7: Daniel Kelly – $3,620,193
8: Rhett Butler – $3,367,469
9: Philip Galfond – $2,966,023
10: Jesse Yaginuma – $1,936,770
11: Clifford Goldkind – $1,280,255
12: Chris Lee – $1,131,827
13: Joshua Pollock – $1,096,882
14: Chase Bianchi – $846,701
15: Jesse Chinni – $792,00
How to Stay Safe Playing on Maryland Online Poker Sites
We’ve extensively reviewed the sites mentioned above, but we know that you might stumble upon different poker sites during your career. If that’s the case, we recommend following a few things that we cover in our poker reviews page. There we list the seven most important things to look for in poker sites, those are:
Safety & security
Software
Quality of opponent
Volume of players
Game variety
Promotions
Support
Legal Gambling in Maryland
Lots of gambling in Maryland is ultimately decided by voters. Voters approved sports betting in 2020 and back in 2012 they expanded gaming too. In 2012 voters approved one more casino and let existing casinos offer table games.The registered voters approved Question 7 by a 51.9% yes, and 48.1% no.
Maryland Casinos
Maryland’s current casinos are:
- Hollywood Casino Perryville – Maryland’s first gaming facility which opened on September 27, 2010. They feature 1,500 slot machines, a casual restaurant, and parking for 1,600.
- Ocean Downs – Opened on January 4, 2011. They have 34,000 square feet of gaming space and 750 slot machines.
- Maryland Live! – Opened on June 6, 2012. They feature 4,750 slot machines, a live music venue, several restaurants and almost 5,000 parking spaces.
- Rocky Gap Lodge & Resort – Opened on May 23, 2013.
- Horseshoe Baltimore – Opened on August 27, 2014 with 15,000 visitors, 5,000 more than anticipated. However, even with their opening day success, the casino has brought in 34% less revenue ($22.4 million) than predicted in its early stages.
- MGM National Harbor – Opened Dec. 8, 2016. A $1.2 billion development measuring 135,000 sq ft with 308 rooms.
Slot Referendum and a State Lottery
In a 2008 constitutional referendum, voters approved of up to 15,000 video lottery terminals at casinos. The state retains 67% of all revenue generated by the slot machines, among the highest percentage in the United States.
States Online Poker Is Legal
Proceeds of slots are distributed as follows:
- 49.25% – Maryland Education Trust Fund
- 33% – Video lottery terminals facility operators
- 7% – Horse racing purse account (not to exceed $100 million per year)
- 5.5% – Local impact grants
- 1.75% – Race track facilities renewal account (for the first 8 years not to exceed $40 million per year)
- 2% – Maryland Lottery to partially finance the costs of regulation
- 1.5% – Small, minority and women-owned businesses
Maryland has also offered a lottery since 1973. That was passed by a voter amendment too. In 2015 it had a revenue of $1.762 billion and has experienced steady growth since the start. Seems like there’s no gaming expansion voters won’t approve. We hope to see poker on that list soon. We’ll keep you update if it does.
Maryland Online Poker FAQ
Can I play poker on PokerStars in Maryland?
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While Maryland might allow PokerStars in like neighboring Pennsylvania sometime soon, you currently can’t play poker on PokerStars in Maryland. If you don’t want to drive to nearby Pennsylvania or New Jersey to open an account and play, you have some options. There are plenty of great PokerStars alternatives for poker players in Maryland.
We’ve reviewed several sites that accept players from all 50 states, including Maryland. Sites like Ignition Poker and Americas Cardroom guaranteed prize pools, tournament specials and great rakeback that make them pretty good PokerStars alternatives.
Can you use Bitcoin to play online poker in Maryland?
Yes! Many of the sites we mentioned above accept Bitcoin as a way to deposit and withdraw. This is always site-dependent though, so be sure to check your site’s banking options to see if they accept Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is usually the fastest way to both put your money and take your money out of poker sites, so if this is important to you, check out the sites we listed above.
Can I use my Mac to play poker in Maryland?
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Yes! All the sites we’ve reviewed have Mac-specific software or sites. Again though, this varies site to site, so always look at their software to see if it’s compatible with your device. There are plenty of different software options too like mobile gaming.
Are there any free sites in Maryland?
Every site we’ve mentioned and every one we’ve ever played has play money options so you can start playing for free. All you have to do is sign up for an account and you don’t have to give any banking information. This lets you hone your skills for free. Many sites also have freeroll tournaments that have cash rewards. That means you can win actual cash and start building your bankroll for free.
Is Online Gambling Legal In Maryland
Are there bonuses for Maryland poker players?
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There aren’t any specific bonuses for players from Maryland that we’ve seen, but there are plenty of bonuses available to all poker players. The most generous typically go to new players, but plenty of sites offer reload bonuses and more. Check out our bonus page for more information.
Specific State-by-State Laws
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