Casino industry pushes for action on sports betting in Maryland

The nation´s highest court is scheduled to take up a case challenging the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act – which restricts betting on sports games to Nevada and sports lotteries to a handful of other states – later this year.

A decision in the case, Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, could be handed down between April and June, said Sara Slane, a lobbyist for the American Gaming Association.

"Right now, there´s more momentum for repealing [the sports betting restrictions] than ever before,"Slane told members of the General Assembly´s Joint Committee on Gaming Oversight. "I would urge you and other legislators to get out in front of this, because when it does happen you´re going to have states ready to go in first position... to open up sports books."

Maryland lawmakers have considered legislation related to sports gambling in recent sessions but the bills failed to win approval from both chambers. This year, a measure that would have ordered a study on implementing sports wagering in the state and allowed a voter referendum to authorize the practice if the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is overruled never made it out of a House committee.

Joe Weinberg, CEO of Cordish Global Gaming, which owns the Live Casino in Hanover, said his company is eager to add sports betting to its offerings if it´s legalized in Maryland.

Weinberg predicted sports gambling could create "hundreds if not thousands of new jobs" and bring larger audiences to casinos in the state. Live Casino estimates sports betting would generate 1.5 million new visits a year, he said.