LegislationFailed
Maryland sweepstakes ban bills pass the House but die in Senate committee
HB 295 and HB 1226, which would have banned dual-currency sweepstakes casinos and given the attorney general new enforcement tools, cleared the House of Delegates but never reached a Senate vote before the session ended.
- Bills
- HB 295; HB 1226 (Illegal Online Gambling Enforcement Act)
- House votes
- 105-24 (HB 295); 135-1 (HB 1226)
- Senate
- Budget and Taxation Committee; no vote
- Session ended
- April 13, 2026
Maryland's 2026 legislative session closed without a sweepstakes casino ban, even though two bills passed the House of Delegates by wide margins. Both went to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, which held hearings but took no further action.
HB 295, introduced by the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee at the request of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, would have barred operating, conducting or promoting online casino-style interactive games, required gaming licensees to report business ties to companies that support them, and directed the commission to deny or revoke licenses in certain cases. It passed the House 105-24 on March 20.
HB 1226, the Maryland Illegal Online Gambling Enforcement Act from Delegates Bartlett, Conaway and Woods, would have prohibited knowingly offering or supporting illegal online gambling and authorized the attorney general and local prosecutors to issue notices and seek court relief. It passed the House 135-1 on March 23.
State regulators backed the effort, saying hundreds of unlicensed sites remain active and only about a quarter of operators that received the commission's cease-and-desist letters complied. The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance testified that its members' free-entry model is lawful, comparing it to McDonald's Monopoly promotion, and said it hopes to discuss regulation before the 2027 session.
Separately, the city of Baltimore is suing six sweepstakes operators in state court under its consumer protection ordinance.
What it means for players
- No new Maryland law bans sweepstakes casinos, but state regulators treat many of these sites as illegal.
- Many operators already exclude Maryland because of regulator cease-and-desist letters.
- Similar bills could return when the Legislature reconvenes in January 2027.
Sources
This summary is for information only and isn't legal advice. Laws and operator policies change; check the primary sources above and each casino's current sweepstakes rules.