The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland authorizes regulated internet poker and skill-based gaming with a $1,000,000 initial license fee
Last action · March 13, 2026: Withdrawn by SponsorSponsor: Ron Watson
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 884 authorizes the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to license and regulate online skill-based gaming and poker operations in Maryland, directing gaming revenues to state trust funds and public education starting July 1, 2026.
The measure establishes a legal framework for online gambling operators and live dealer studios within the state, creating mandatory player protections, minority business enterprise procurement goals, and revenue streams for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Internet skill-based gaming licensees
Licensees must pay initial and renewal fees, comply with operational and data security regulations, maintain labor peace agreements, and distribute revenue shares.
Problem gamblers and vulnerable individuals
Individuals have access to voluntary exclusion lists, deposit limits, temporary suspension mechanisms, and dedicated problem gambling disclosures and help lines.
Minority- and women-owned businesses
The bill establishes reduced initial licensing fees, ownership participation goals, and procurement guidelines based on the state's Minority Business Enterprise program.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum age required to participate in internet skill-based gaming?
Where do the proceeds from internet skill-based gaming go?
Can credit cards be used to fund internet skill-based gaming accounts?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 13, 2026SenateWithdrawn by Sponsor
- Mar 11, 2026SenateHearing canceled
- Feb 11, 2026SenateHearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Budget and Taxation
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion Into Online Skill-Based Gaming
The legislation formally expands Maryland's gaming framework from physical video lottery terminals and mobile sports wagering into a fully regulated online skill-based and poker gaming market.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools